North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

Whole Lotta Roisín

The L E Roisín in port. On the left is O'Conaire's.

The view outside my window is that of constant arrivals and departures. The docks in Galway is rarely empty and never quiet. There are the petrol tankers from Milford Haven, constantly crossing the Irish Sea in an effort to keep Galway's insatiable thirst for oil at least half-quenched. There are the sail boats (sorry, yachts), growing in number all the time. There are the 'exotics', rigged sailing ships like the Asgard, the Jeannie Johnson or private racing yachts that attract the most attention. My favourite is the Celtic Explorer, the Marine Institute's research vessel. When moored, it towers above the surrounding apartment buildings, and at night, with its many gantries, cranes and levels under floodlight, it looks like it should be in a James Cameron flick.

Looking at ships tied up in the docks is a bit like looking at actors backstage - the real action is elsewhere. No matter how wild the weather, the ships are safe in port. The Inner Dock is separated from the sea by a lock-gate, which means that water is always calm. It also means that the ships follow the calendar of the tides, rather than that of day or night, since the tide must e nearly full before the lock gates can be opened. It's not unusual for me to go to bed late at night with a dock full of ships filling the view of my living room window, only to find, like a one-night stand, some of them had slipped out during the night.

For most of the ships, a visit to Galway is a chance for rest. For the fishing boats, most of the unloading takes place at Rossaveel, where the processing factories are located. Ok, it's not the only reason. The Irish Naval Service ships also call into Galway, and sometimes they too bring in a catch. The L. E. Roisín is in port at the moment, and moored beside it is a fishing trawler that it brought in for alleged fishing violations. (Like almost every other form of food production in Europe, fishing is subject to strict quotas, which means that the trawlers spend a lot of time in port).

The boats aren't the only source of activity in the Docks. O'Conaire's (aka Padriag's) is Galway's early morning pub - ostensibly to serve the needs of the boatmen, but as often as not, the last port of call after a hard night out on the town. Contrary to popular belief, it does close at some point at night , and on more than one occasion, I've seen revellers curled up outside the door, sleeping like babies (40% proof babies, that is). Bless.

galway,ireland, irishblogs,monasette

Posted by Monasette at November 21, 2005 02:13 AM