2008 WAS A MOST DIFFICULT YEAR FOR ALL

All Photographs By William Murphy

Home

RED SAILS AT SUNSET BY BERNARD MORTELL

by

I photographed this back in 2008 using A Canon 1Ds MkIII and a 100-400mm Lens and at the time I was unable to find any information about the art or the artist.

Sculpture Details

Title: Red Sails at Sunset (frequently referenced as Red Sails in the Sunset)

Sculptor: Bernard Mortell (born 1947 in Cork; Irish sculptor, painter, and former director of the Sculptors’ Society of Ireland)

Medium & Dimensions: Painted sheet steel; approximately 2.7 metres high by 3.6 metres wide (9 ft × 12 ft)

Location: Elevated grassy verge beside the historic Martello Tower at Seapoint, south Dublin Bay, positioned between Blackrock and Monkstown / Dún Laoghaire (with the iconic Poolbeg chimneys visible across the bay in the background)

History, Meaning & Musical Connection

Commissioned in 1986 as part of the Tír Cualann Sculpture Symposium organised by the Dún Laoghaire Corporation (now Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council), the piece was designed to bring modern public sculpture to prominent coastal viewpoints.

Artistic Concept: Mortell shaped the sweeping red steel to capture the maritime pulse of Dublin Bay, symbolising billowing boat sails transforming into rolling ocean waves and back again.
Song Reference: The title directly evokes the famous 1935 musical standard “Red Sails in the Sunset”, composed by Will Grosz (under the pen name Hugh Williams) with lyrics by Irish lyricist Jimmy Kennedy.

Kennedy penned the lyrics while watching the local red-sailed yacht Kitty of Coleraine glide off Portstewart, County Londonderry. The song became a worldwide hit recorded by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Fats Domino, providing a nostalgic maritime link for Mortell’s vibrant seaside installation.

Eventual Removal: After decades of harsh maritime salt-air exposure, corrosion, and recurring graffiti, the sculpture fell into poor condition and was eventually decommissioned and removed by the local council.

NOW NNS PROSPERITY WITH THE NIGERIAN NAVY

by

LÉ EMER P21 PHOTOGRAPHED 29 JUNE 2008

To the best of my knowledge LÉ Emer was here, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, as it was tasked with escorting the Sea Stallion from Glendalough on it return journey to Denmark.

LÉ Emer (P21) of the Irish Naval Service, now known as NNS Prosperity of the Nigerian Navy, was built as a patrol vessel in Verolme Dockyard, Cork, Ireland in 1977.[1]

After evaluating Deirdre for 3 years, Emer was ordered by the Irish Naval Service in 1975. Commissioned in January 1978, she was named after Emer, the principal wife of Cúchulainn, a legendary Irish folk hero.

She was an improved version of the sole of class Deirdre and similar to LÉ Aoife (P22) and LÉ Aisling (P23). She was commissioned on 16 January 1978 and had 35 years of service with the Irish Naval Service.

Decommissioned on 20 September 2013, in October 2013 Emer was sold at auction for €320,000 to a Nigerian businessman.

In July 2014 Emer was impounded by the Nigerian Navy because the new owner had failed to secure the necessary military approval before bringing the ship into Nigerian waters. On 19 February 2015 Emer was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy as a training ship and renamed NNS Prosperity.

THE SEA STALLION FROM GLEANDALOUGH WAS LIFTED INTO THE LIFFEY USING A LARGE CRANE

by

28 JUNE 2008 THE DAY BEFORE IT SET SAIL

Yesterday [6 Jan 2023] and today my photographs of this Viking Longship attracted much attention and a few people who were actually involved asked me if I had and photographs of the boat in the water [arriving in Dublin or leaving Dublin] and after much searching I found a number of original Canon RAW files which needed a lot of post processing as they contained a lot of noise.

The Viking longship – the ‘Sea Stallion from Glendalough’ – set sail from Dublin 29 June 2008. It left Custom House Quay at noon to begin a return journey to Roskilde in Denmark having been scheduled to arrive at the Viking Ship Museum there on Saturday August 9.

The voyage from Roskilde to Dublin and in 2007-2008 was the culmination of many years of work, and the most ambitious archaeological experiment the museum has ever carried out.

A return voyage to Dublin took place over the summer of 2007. The ship left Roskilde Harbour on 1 July and arrived in Dublin on 14 August.

She was put on display in the Collins Barracks, the Decorative Arts and History building of the National Museum of Ireland, from 17 August 2007 until 29 May 2008. She was then moved to the Grand Canal Dock to be prepared for the journey back to Roskilde on 29 June 2008, and shortly afterwards the National Bank of Denmark issued a 20-kroner commemorative coin in celebration of the event.

The Sea Stallion is lying in the Museum Harbour. The longship is easy to recognise with its characteristic blue, red and yellow strakes.

MALAHIDE SEAFRONT IN 2008 NEAREST THE TOWN OR THE LESS ATTRACTIVE SECTION

by

PHOTOGRAPHED 11 MAY 2008

About ten to fifteen years ago I had lunch almost every week in Malahide and frequently my mother would join me but she will be 103 years old next May.

The Irish Sea has played a major role in the development of tourism in the Malahide. The extensive Velvet Strand stretches to the horizon and is extremely popular with bathers, walkers and water sports enthusiasts.

Walking from the town centre along the beach you’ll come to the wide velvet strand along the Mouth of the Estuary, from here the beach leads to Low Rock, a popular swimming section of the beach. After this the beach gets more rocky as you approach High Rock, for a more challenging swim and eventually if you continue on you will find yourself at Portmarnock beach where the sandy strand opens wide in front of you once more.

From Malahide Beach you can also take the coastal walk on the footpath all the way to Portmarnock but beware, it’s 5km away and that did catch me by surprise back in 2008 … I was exhausted and had to get a taxi back to the train station.

We No Longer Include Advertising