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Irish Ships and Shipping

Irish Rowan 1983
Photos from John Sheridan

February 2009

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Irish Shipping Ltd.

Crew and Ships

Irish Rowan


		IRISH ROWAN 1962-73.	IRISH ROWAN(2)1976-84.

click on photos for full picture:

Irish Rowan 1982 and 1983 Conor Vaughan (October 2012)

Irish Rowan 1966 (Richard Saunders 2012)>>>
	G.Murphy, B.Carrick, Scoby, O'Shea Mexico to Japan		R.Saunders, E.Henery	O'Shea, E. Byrne, N. Fognes, B.Byrne.

	Scobie, J.Hall, B.Carrrick,	Great Lakes 1967.	B.Carrick, G.Murphy 1968

		Crew Irish Rowan 1972. If anyone can put names to this photo please send them in. Kieran O'Connell 2011>>>
			L-R, Mick(Spot)Keogh Dublin, Harry Gaines Dublin, John(Donegal)Gallagher, Jim(Jumbo)Duff Termonfeckon, seated Martin Doyle Wexford, Michael(Mickey)Brennan Dundalk Names from Michael Brennan dec.2010

Michael Keegan - I served as Junior Engineer on the Irish Rowan from February to September '78.

Along with Ann Parry (Deck Cadet), Damien Mathews (4th Engineer), and Aiden Jameson (Deck Cadet - I think), I flew from London over the North Pole to join her in dry dock in Yokohama, Japan. The key points on that trip were Japan - Vancouver - Europe ( a number of ports loading for the Persian Gulf) - Damam, Basra, Bahrain - Durban and back to Antwerp, where I paid off. What a trip for a first-tripper. Imagine it, Japan, the Pacific, Canada, Panama, the Atlantic, Europe - Finland, the Med, Suez, the Gulf, Sth Africa, then home. Crossed the line and all !!

Imagine my wide eyed amazement as a first tripper at seeing the propellor of the Rowan in dry dock, or the shoreside cranes in England loading double decker buses for the Gulf, along with telegraph poles, barbed wire, a mobile crane and chewing gum, picked up around European ports.
In the B&W (black & white not Burmeister & Wayne) pic of the Rowan entering Durban, that's me on the port side of the three figures on the monkey island.
Crossing the line, that's poor Tim Fenelon being being 'topped and tailed' by King Neptune's soldiers.

Beautiful Rowan - Durban SA.	Best job in the world.	Crossing the Line.	Mobile Crane for Persian Gulf	Mobile Crane for Persian Gulf
		Rowan 1979 - Dry dock Yokohama. Japan	Buses for Persian Gulf 1978

Sadly, I only developed an interest in photography a number of years after leaving the Company (as is evident in the sample pics attached) , but my humble pics would be irreplaceable should I ever loose them now. When I happened upon the site, I started to remember the names of my old shipmates and slowly, over the following days, more and more names came back to me along with lovely memories of my time aboard with them.
My second trip, also as J/E was on the Rowan's sister ship the Irish Cedar. Two trips, that's all. Spread over two years - thirty years ago, but wonderful times remembered and revisited. As fresh now in my mind as if they happened yesterday.

Kind regards,

Michael Keegan

Photos from
Conor Vaughan

Irish Rowan crew taken in Pat O' Briens Bar New Orleans, in mid 1983. From left to right,
as follows, Anto McGovern, Conor Vaughan, Paul Murphy, and Peader O'Connor.

Irish rowan entering Rio de Janeiro April 1983.

Irish Rowan
Hamburg Harbour
August 1984-Robert Malarz.

Photos from:

Eamonn Frampton
1971

Crossing the line
Atlantic ocean June 1971

Jerry Desmond (2nd.Mate) carries his wife to be baptized!

Crossing the line
Atlantic ocean June 1971

M. Curdale, P. McDonald,
P. O'Brien, M. O'Rourke and Sean (who sadly died a month later after a gangway fall in Port Elizabeth S. Africa) -Irish Rowan 71'.

Crossing the line
Atlantic ocean June 1971

Mick Ryan
(Deck apprentice)

Ted Griffin (AB)
Irish Rowan
Mauritius, Indian Ocean Aug. 1971

Hi, I just seen your site recently, and it brought back some memories, in particular the photos of crossing the line on the MV Irish Rowan in 1971, just wandering what happened the guys in the photo, Martin O’Rourke A.B. Howth, Ted Griffin, who was from Kerry and a character, and Mick Curdale, anybody know how he ended up? I see Eamonn Frampton took the photos so he must still be around, any reunions lately? also Rocky O'Rourke cook from Howth who was with Sean, just before he died.... and I see someone was asking about an Austin Gill who was from Mayo or Cavan, I met someone who knew him, and he was still around there in the early 90,s so he shouldn’t be too hard to track down.. Is jack Doyle (bosons mate, Wexford) still around? feel free to post this on your site, and if anybody has any info I would be obliged if they could contact me: walker23255@yahoo.co.uk/

John Walker- June 2007

Irish Rowan- Golden Gate Bridge, Aug.77'.
Eamonn Frampton

Irish Rowan with a full load of timber-Vancouver British Columbia, Aug.77'.
Eamonn Frampton

Thomas O'Connell (centre) 1972 The man on the left hand side of this photo with the magnificent moustache is my father, John Bowden.
(Aisling Bowden :) March 2011)
On the right is Dermot Meagher
( Noddy ) from Wexford
Info from Johnny Evans --April 2007

Thomas O'Connell's seaman's ID for travel to the UK 1962

1966

I was an anco in 1982.!
I flew to Singapore in 1983 to join the MV Irish Rowan and from there we sailed for the
Phillipines and then Indonesia to pick up cargo of timber for US. I stayed on the Irish Rowan
for 10 months before returning home. I did a short stint on the Tusker Rock before the sad demise of Irish Shipping. I didn't return to sea again and between working ashore and raising a family my brief life as a seaman was resigned to my memories and a few snaps stored in the attic.
For the few short months I sailed with them the men in the following photos were my family, a
great bunch of men I was proud to call friends even though I can't fully remember their names.
Perhaps somebody can help fill in the rest of the names.

Kind regards

Sean Finnerty 26th. August 2008

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Photos and info from Capt. Paul Reid

The Irish Rowan football team Back Row L to R,
AB Billy Revington, 3rd Mate Tom O’ Callaghan, 3rd Engineer Kevin Barry, (Unknown), 2nd Engineer Frank Brennan, Deck Cadet Paul Reid, Front Row L to R, (Unknown), (Unknown), Jnr. Engineer Paul Kiely,(Unknown).
This team played a few matches in South Africa. The pitch was a part of the infamous Point Prison grounds in Durban.
The ship was berthed so close to this prison that in the evening we could hear the prisoners all sing in unison as the light of the day faded.

Here is Capt. H.B. Fiddler on the bridge wing whilst transiting the Suez Canal on the Irish Rowan in 1982.

The Irish Rowan loading in Richards Bay South Africa
around 1981.

This is Neptune and his daughters. I only know that Neptune is Paddy from Cobh in cork but I can not remember the others. What is notable about this picture is the creativity of the AB’s in preparing the costumes all of which came out of the “Rag Bag”

Again crossing the line on Rowan 1982, “Dr.” Billy Revington in the background.

This is me getting ”done”.

Irish Rowan with tug fast forward about to depart the point berth in Durban SA. Our visits to SA made it into the Irish Papers and demonstrations and protests were held outside the Company's office at Merrion Hall. Our visits were during the worst period of apartheid and some of our citizens did not like that a semi state body was having any dealings what so ever with SA least of all sanctioning that government ships visited such a place to engage in Trade.

IRISH ROWAN CREW CROSSING THE LINE IN 1983

PHOTOS FROM JIM WHELAN

Back row >Ronnie Brown, Ken Mc Knight, Asst Stwd? Unknown, Kevin Lambe,

Front row >Martin Regan, Jimmy Gough, Joey O Kennedy, Mrs Jim Whelan, John Sheridan.

KEN McKNIGHT GETTING BLESSED!
ALSO THERE ARE TOMMY WHITE AND RONNIE BROWN.

RONNIE BROWN, KEN MC KNIGHT,
GERRY SABBAAN, AND AONGAUS

IRISH ROWAN AT MURORAN JAPAN DECEMBER 1966 (EDDIE RUSSELL)					B/ROW L-R--J.MADIGAN-G.MURPHY-E.HENNESSY -R.SAUNDERS-J.O'GRADY--D.AHERN-D.DALY(2nd.MATE) M/ROW L-R--J.NAGLE(CHIPPY)-B.CARRICK-J.HALL(BOSUN) -N.FYNES(NODDY)-B.BYRNE(SAINTY) F/ROW L-R--B.STOCKDALE(DECK CADET)-J.BYRNE(MOTORMAN)-A.DOOLEY.
	EDDIE RUSSELL & BRIAN BYRNE	EDDIE RUSSELL & TOM BYRNE	EDDIE RUSSELL & BRIAN BYRNE

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