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click here for the Memorial address given by Tom Mac Sweeney at Monkstown Parish Church, Co. Dublin on 3rd June 2006. A tribute to Dr. John de Courcy Ireland One of the most important figures in Irish
maritime History has sadly passed away. "There are no flowers on a wave, Till we all meet in another place Aiden McCabe 2006.
Dr John de Courcy Ireland is made an honouree ambassador by China. Dr John de Courcy Ireland's links with China go back to his
early childhood. His father died in China in 1914, and his mother lived in
Beijing for several years.
APPRECIATION - Dr. John de Courcy Ireland Memorial address given by Tom Mac Sweeney at Monkstown Parish Church, Co. Dublin on 3rd June 2006. "There is a beautiful
moment etched in my mind at the start of each sailing season when the boat,
after months of rest ashore, lifts once again to the breeze - the first of the
new season. The gift of nature, it propels the boat forward, water swishes past
the hull, the boat is alive in its own world. The wondrous resource of the sea
provides. Rather than resistance, the boat communicates with it, to achieve a
common goal. In that special moment
this year, the man who, more than anyone else I know, sought to communicate the
message of the bounty of the sea offers came to mind - Dr.John de Courcy
Ireland. Every second, of every
minute, of every hour, of every day, of every year, the sea laps the shore of
every mile of this island. Think of that for a moment
... having travelled thousands of miles across the ocean, waves spend themselves
on our shoreline - an island on the periphery of Europe. Spent waves retreat,
mingling with those still incoming, regenerate, communicate - provide no barrier
to the sea. Throughout his life, John
viewed the sea - not as a barrier, but as a channel of communication - a bridge
to growth. The voice of the sea
speaks to the soul ... Dr.John listened and tried to make Ireland a nation that
would also do so. His efforts have not been in vain. That is a testimony to him. I first met John as the
result of one of his postcards - those gems of thought and opinion, conveyed in
his unique, particular brand of writing - like a river of composition,
meandering its course around the card, including several tributaries, until its
destination was reached, its purpose achieved. On that particular card, he
blended appreciation with gentle chiding and criticism, where his opinion
differed from mine, but also with, very much, a welcome. That is easy for me to
remember, it is also etched on my mind, because it was 18 years ago this weekend
when I first broadcast SEASCAPES on RTE Radio 1 and John, typically, was amongst
the first to offer support, help and his involvement. Over the years, I would
value his advice and occasional criticism and learn that, amidst a busy
schedule, he was never too busy to help people. Originally, I was in awe
of this great man, as I viewed him - whose reputation, writings, books, were
authoritative, definitive. I grew to know, love and deeply respect him, as a
friend, advisor and critic, all of which I was often in need. He told me how his
all-consuming interest in the sea was nurtured, inspired, when he spent a few
years as a merchant seaman - and he understood the dangers as well as the
attractions of the sea - and campaigned with success for Irish seafarers who
died at sea during World War Two to be recognised by the State. There are images which
float across my mind today of John - the change of tone, his bristling with
anger, his voice going to a different octave of which any orator would be proud
to achieve, as he reacted to the neglect and abandonment of seafarers by
uncaring shipowners as he experienced when Secretary of Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat
Station - the inflections if the voice changing to kindness, softness,
appreciation in his voice when he told stories of the sea which had positive
messages - the pride when he recounted the achievements of yet another Irish
seafarer on the oceans of the world - who his research had identified, but was
hitherto unknown in Ireland. Yet John was not born in
Ireland, but in India and after education at Oxford and Trinity College, Dublin,
was awarded a Ph.D. in 1951 for his research into maritime history - the title
of this thesis - "The Influence of the Sea on Civilisation" - how very
appropriate. Today we celebrate the
influence of Dr. John de Courcy Ireland on Irish maritime affairs and that is a
tribute to the man of the sea which he became. He was also a humanist and
a peace activist - I smiled this week when meeting Michael Prior, President of
the Maritime Institute to which John devoted many years and Stephen Wynne of Dun
Laoghaire Lifeboat Station, where John served for many years - and it was
suggested that, in modern parlance, John might have been described as "a
peacenik" - I think he would have enjoyed that. John was also active in
politics. He once told me that he would have been considered radical, but as his
years advanced, he became "radically mature". The story is told in
Iris na Mara, the Maritime Institute's Journal of the Sea, that when he signed
nomination papers for a former Marine Minister, Deputy Eamon Gilmore who is with
here today, for a General Election, John said: "The last time I signed one
of these was for Big Jim Larkin - I was his election agent." Another piece
of Irish history. John ran for public office in 1982 for Jim Kemmy's Democratic
Socialist Party and the story is told that when he asked Jim about his attitude
to the sea, Jim responded: "I prefer terra firma - the more firma, the less
terra." John would have determined
to change that. Arthur Reynolds, founder
and Editor of The Irish Skipper fishing industry newspaper, is away in the
Arctic today, but reminds us that John's range of influence extended beyond his
maritime interests. He was a dedicated teacher, to whose prowess many students
can testify, amongst them Arthur himself who was a pupil of John's at
St.Patrick's Grammar School. John also taught at Newpark Comprehensive School.
He brought history alive to his pupils. Arthur was instilled with John's cause
and became a marine journalist - another pupil of John's became an expert on
Northern Hemisphere Weather; another a senior marine engineer. John's influence
was widespread - through the Maritime Institute he was involved in proposals for
the re-organisation of Bord Iascaigh Mhara in the early 60s, another example of
his influence cited by Arthur Reynolds. John's research work also
revealed to the nation the story of Admiral William Brown and a nation's
appreciation of the Admiral from Mayo was born, with the support given to John
in this work by the Irish-Argentinean Society. Communication, to which I
referred earlier, was the hallmark of Dr.John de Courcy Ireland .. who was
fluent in so many language and recognised and appreciated as a maritime
historian, author, scholar, linguist and honoured for these achievements in
countries from Spain to Argentina, Portugal to Algeria, France, Yugoslavia,
there is a long list. Des Brannigan of the
Maritime Institute expresses its appreciation for John's service for over half a
century as their Research Officer and his wide range of published books ...
"a gifted man and virtually irreplaceable source of knowledge of our
maritime resource," as Des puts it. Conor Galvin, Secretary of
the Irish Naval Association, where John was given honorary membership in
recognition of his work, says the Association "will sadly miss the king of
the Irish Sea" ... high tribute indeed. Tim Magennis, Editor of
the Maritime Institute's Journal, 'Iris na Mara,' is away in Istanbul research
the navigational methods of the Ancient Turks, which he says is work of which
John would have approved. John wanted the Institute to be a strong maritime
voice and gave steadfast backing towards that goal and Tim says all those who
knew John can be thankful for his friendship. Aline Ford-Robinson, the
92-year-old first cousin of John, has provided an early family memory of John
and the childhood they shared in the 1920s, a unique, evocative contribution to
the early story of our great friend whom we honour today and this written
contribution is at the Church door for you. For John was also a family
man. From him I also learned what real love was as he spoke so affectionately of
his beloved wife, Betty, his long-time companion and supporter "through
thick and thin" as he told me --- and I remember how her death grieved him
so much, but also how much he valued the plaque honouring both of them in the
People's Park in Dun Laoghaire as 'Peace Activists.' He told me that, of the
many honours he had received, this was most precious. And he received many
honours - . Holder of the
Portuguese Order of the Infante For his services to the
RNLI he was the recipient of several awards, including Gold Badge in 1983, Bar
to Gold Badge in 1991 and, in 1995, the highest award the Institute can bestow - John spoke many languages,
one of his greatest was when he spoke the language of the mariner - the
seafarer. "An unappreciated
species of person" much of whose life is spent out of sight of land and
away from the people of the land, but without the seafarer, how would those on
land, who live ashore, survive ?"
Dr.John de Courcy Ireland
saw the sea, which laps the shores of this island nation, as a channel of
communication, not a barrier - he saw it as a bridge of opportunity, a view in
which he never faltered. Nowhere else other than on
the sea, can you experience days, weeks and months fall away more quickly into
the past. Those days are left behind us, rather like the way astern which swirls
in the wake of the ship Let us not leave the
memory of Dr.John de Courcy Ireland without pledging to continue the work he
carried out with such dedication. Several years ago the
Dept. Of the Marine invited John to compile his research into Irish historical
maritime figures who had achieved distinction internationally. I was involved in
arranging this, believing that John's knowledge should not be lost to the nation
and now, it seems, the right decision - to preserve this, may have been made.
The results of this research have been preserved within the Department and, as a
tribute to John, the Department is going to work with SEASCAPES and RTE RADIO 1
to prepare programmes in the months ahead, based on John's research. Out of
this, hopefully, will come a permanent tribute to the life and work of the man
who was, for his lifetime, the voice of the Irish maritime sector. I thank and commend the
Department of Communications, the Marine and Natural Resources General
Secretary, Brendan Tuohy, for his support for this initiative. I learned so much from
John - as I think of him now, when we had the occasional meeting, perhaps over a
glass of stout - his smile, his clear enjoyment and pleasure when a maritime
development or benefit had been achieved - "must go on, we must recognise
the value, the benefit, of the sea." Much has been achieved
through the work, the life, the dedication of Dr.John de Courcy Ireland. I often
wonder, having learned from him, now in appropriate it is to call this planet,
Earth, when, dominated by so many times its size in the sea, it would perhaps be
better known, as John said, to me - as 'Ocean.' What is in the sea, which
is so powerful in its influence ? It whispers in the mind,
roars in the night, is the sense of things done, of things endured, of meanings
perhaps not fully understood by humans. It is the secret of the deepest of
silence, which is of eternity". "Dr. John de Courcy Ireland - we salute you" ©Tom Mac Sweeney 2006 SEASCAPES--TOM MAC SWEENEY'S MARITIME MONITOR
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