Irish Merchant Navy Memorial [City Quay Dublin]

IRISH MERCHANT SHIPS LOST IN WORLD WAR TWO.

MUNSTER (Captain William James Paisley) mined and sunk in Liverpool Bay
2 February 1940-no casualties

CITY OF LIMERICK (Captain, R. Ferguson) sunk by air attack 700 miles west of Ushant.
15 july 1940-2 dead

MEATH (Captain T. MacFarlane) mined and sunk off Holyhead .
16 august 1940-1 dead

LUIMNEACH (Captain E. Jones) sunk by gunfire from U-46 in Bay of Biscay
4 september 1940-no casualites

KERRY HEAD (Captain C. Drummond) bombed and sunk with all hands off Cape Clear.
22 october 1940-12 dead

ARDMORE (Captain T. Ford) missing on passage Cork to Fishguard.
11 november 1940-24 dead

ISOLDA (Captain A. Bestic) bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Wex ford Coast
19 december 1940- 6 dead, 7 wounded

INNISFALLEN (Captain G. Rrth) mined and sunk in River Mersey.
21 december 1940-4 dead

ST. FINTAN (Captain N. Hendry) bombed and sunk by German aircraft of Welsh Coast.
22 march 1941-9 dead

CLONLARA (Captain J. Reynolds) torpedoed and sunk whilst in convoy 0G71 in Bay of Biscay
22 august 1941-11 dead

CITY OF WATERFORD (Captain T. Alpin) sunk whilst in convoy 0G74 in North Atlantic.
19 september 1941-5 dead

CITY OF BREMEN (Captain G. Bryan) sunk by German aircraft in Bay of Biscay
2 june 1942-no casualites

IRISH PINE (Captain M. O'Neill) torpedoed and sunk in North Atlantic by U-608.
15 november1942-33 dead

KYLECLARE (Captain A. Hamilton) torpedoed and sunk in Bay of Biscay by J-456
23 february 1943-18 dead

IRISH OAK (Capatin E. Jones) torpedoed and sunk in North Atlantic by U607
15 may 1942-no casualites

CYMRIC (Captain C. Cassedy) missing on passage Ardrossan to Lisbon.
22 march 1944-11 dead

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NORTH STRAND WW2 BOMBING MEMORIAL [BESIDE THE COLLEGE]

31 May 2011: A memorial garden dedicated to those who lost their lives in bombing of Dublin's North Strand was re-opened to mark the 70th anniversary of the incident.

This park may come as a surprise to most people and it is a great pity that it is usually locked. One wonders what ‘re-opened’ actually means. The process appears to be as follows:
[1] Discuss for many years about the possibility of establishing a memorial park.
[2] Have a big opening just before a general election.
[3] Forget to maintain the park.
[4] Close the park because of anti-social behaviour.
[5] Repeat the process especially if the memorial is located in the North Side of the city.

At approximately 2 am on 31 May 1941, four German bombs dropped on north Dublin. One bomb fell in the Ballybough area, demolishing the two houses at 43 and 44 Summerhill Park, injuring many but with no loss of life. A second fell at the Dog Pond pumping works near the Zoo in Phoenix Park, with no casualties but damaging Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of the Irish President (Douglas Hyde at the time). A third made a large crater in the North Circular Road near Summerhill, again causing no injuries. A fourth fell in North Strand destroying 17 houses and severely damaging about 50 others, the worst damage occurring in the area between Seville Place and Newcomen Bridge. The raid claimed the lives of 28 people, injured 90, destroyed or damaged approximately 300 houses, and left 400 people homeless.

It has never been established why Hitler's forces dropped bombs; if it was an attempt to force Ireland into war, or a reprisal for the assistance given by Dublin Fire Brigade during the Belfast Blitz.

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