Disembarkation- Nicky Rossiter (most read books of all time .TXT) 📖

10 miles from the town but probably learned his sea-faring skills at the busy Wexford Quays had gone on to fight in the American War of Independence and become 'Father of the American Navy.'

Unfortunately, the port that the bronze Barry looked out at had changed very much from that seen by the young Jack Barry less than two centuries ago.

In March 1963, a small headline in the local newspaper, The Free Press' noted; PORT CLOSED

DUE TO BAR

The port of Wexford is gone. Never more will the children of the town marvel at the sight of ships bearing the names of ports only known to them from school geography classes. Little will they know that for hundreds of years children in America, Russia and Africa looked at ships and saw under the name, "Wexford," and perhaps wondered "Where is that place Wexford?"

Eyewitness to Wexford Port

JohnWalsh

One of those interviewed for this book was John Walsh of William Street. I spoke to him as he sowed potatoes in his garden at the sprightly age of 89 years and he recalled a trip on board the 'Maria Reid'

about 70 years ago.

He related how he had sailed on that old schooner under Captain Carroll of the Faythe. The crew called him "Captain Kittle" for some reason now long forgotten. Also on board was the captain’s son as Boy and Phil Gaul, Able seaman. The Mates name is gone from his memory. The trip in question was to Saundersfoot in South Wales to collect a cargo of coal for the Wexford malt houses. In those days of declining trade every effort was made to ensure a profitable trip and the maximum possible cargo was stowed. This left the vessel low in the water as she struck for home. Then a storm blew up causing water to lap onto the deck, so the captain brought her into shelter at Milford for a few days before heading into open sea. Eventually they got underway again but were caught in tidal eddies and the crew had to push bags of sawdust into the scuppers to keep out the water.

Soon the old schooner was taking water so badly that not only had the scuppers to be cleared, but John had to take a mawl and knock some of the timbers out of her to help the water to drain. Meanwhile all hands were on the pumps, clearing the hold as Captain Carrol steered looking for the Tuskar Light. Later that night, the crew noticed coal dust in the pumped water, showing that the water level was dangerous in the hold. With that it was decided to 'run for Fishguard.' The only consideration then was to save themselves and the craft as well as possible. With that in mind they ran the 'Maria Reid' onto the beach at Fishguard. The crew and cargo were safe and with the assistance of men sent from Wexford the ship was

'corked' and refloated within a short time and returned to Wexford.

Apart from his time at sea and working in 'The Star' and for a ships carpenter, John Walsh had another watery passion - sailing his boat the 'Fair Do' in regattas.

'The Fair Do' was the favourite of many of the Wexford people who followed the regattas, an integral part of the life of any sea port. Indeed, John remembers the rivalry when sailing her at Rosslare in about 1940.

The stewards classed her as being longer than the allowed 21 feet, but he insists that she measured only 20 feet 10 inches. Well he remembers sewing and making her sails at the top of the New Lane. The boat is recalled in the song The Fair do which ends,

"When they brought her ashore and stepped out on the strand The lads down from Wexford shook them all by the hand,

It was a great race boys, but between me and you,

I doubt they had steam in the clipper Fair Do. "

The word doubt meant 'believe' in the common usage of the area. Her crew on that day was John Walsh, his brother Jim and Eddie Daly. The name Fair Do has since been taken by a bar on Paul Quay.

John's brother Jim or James referred to above, was one of the last people in Wexford to carry on the trade of sailmaker. He worked for a time for the Wexford firm of Lamberts, coachsmiths and boatbuilders and in 1922 with his brothers provided a ferry service for funerals to Crosstown.

As I spoke to John, we sat in the "Crow's Nest, " a hut like structure on the banks overlooking the cot safe at Batt Street. From this shelter built by local men as a pleasant meeting place, we looked out over the entrance to Wexford Harbour and he spoke of the people before his time who had built the 'safe' and of two men building the old breakwater. He pointed out the 3 white posts visible over near the pump house at Ardcavan which are still used as navigation aids along with two perches near Maudlintown which, when seen as one, indicate that one is in the proper position to negotiate the channel. He also recalled the names of some of the buoys such as 'Molly's Buoy' and the 'buoy of the lumps.' During his lifetime he remembers the trees being planted at Raven Point, John Redmond planning to cut a new harbour entrance across the burrow at Rosslare and of course the destruction of Rosslare Fort.

Jimmy Mahoney

Jimmy Mahoney of Bishopswater, worked on the docks of Wexford. In fact he was the last stevedore of the Port of Wexford.

Jimmy's family had worked on Wexford docks for many years; his grandfather, father and brother had been stevedores before him. He started on the quay himself at the age of 22, after some years in Pierces foundry. To start with he was a casual and operated