Ep 260 – Ilen Sailing Ketch sails from Limerick to London and Grim’s Dyke Hotel

This week…

In Part 1…

The Ilen Ketch, the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.
Built in Baltimore in 1926, designed by Limerick man Conor O’Brien and delivered by Munster men to the Falkland Islands where the Ilen worked the local trade routes for 60 years.

Only 56 feet long, this little sailing ship has been fully restored and now is part of the fleet for the Ilen School in Limerick, who train in all things nautical.

To strengthen ties between London and Limerick, a crew of 9 sailed from the Shannon Estuary to the Port of London, taking just 6 days to travel 850 nautical miles.

Met in by dignitaries including Michael Lonergan from the Irish Embassy and Daniel Butler, Mayor of Limerick, we celebrate the social and economic links between the two great cities.

We also chat to Con Kelly about Limerick Exiles, a group formed to help those in need.

In Part 2…

We’re off to the Grim’s Dyke Hotel in Harrow to take in the atmosphere of this beautiful location. We tour the grounds and get to learn why it’s such a popular location for “that” special event!

For more information…
Limerick Tourism.. www.limerick.ie
The Ilen Company.. www.ilen.ie
Limerick Exiles.. contact connkelly@hotmail.com or call 07957 591777
Grim’s Dyke Hotel.. www.grimsdyke.com

Watch the Irish in the UK every Thursday night at 7.30pm on SKY 191 or Freesat 162. Repeated on Tuesday at 1 pm