Asgard (yacht)

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This article is about a yacht. For other uses, see Asgard (disambiguation)
Asgard at sea, near Dublin.
Asgard at sea, near Dublin.

The Asgard is a 51-foot yacht, formerly owned by the English-born Irish nationalist, and writer Robert Erskine Childers (DSC) and his wife Molly.[1][2] It was bought for £1,000 in 1904 from one of Norway's most famous boat designers, Colin Archer.[3] The interior was custom built to the specifications of Robert Erskine Childers and his wife Mary "Molly" Alden Childers.

Molly; an invalid from early age, would at times take the helm of Asgard, strapped onto the deck with harnesses so she could navigate the rough waters of the Irish Channel.[4] Its most famous trip was in 1914. Childers, his wife and a small crew, made the then treacherous channel crossing with a hold full of rifles from Germany into Howth harbour just North of Dublin, to arm the Irish Volunteers during Easter Rising of 1916.[2] There's a plaque installed into the dock wall in Howth as a memorial to this historic boat journey.[5] Shortly after the Easter Rising, the Asgard was put into longterm dry-dock in Northern Wales, where it was sold in 1928.[1]

Asgard, 1960 Dublin Docks.
Asgard, 1960 Dublin Docks.

In 1961, the Irish Government procured[1] the aging vessel, had it dry-docked and installed inside Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin where it remained as a museum attraction, until 2001.[6].

As of December 2007, the Asgard Restoration Project is underway in Collins Barracks, Dublin. The yacht is being painstakingly restored with the focus being on preserving the original wooden hull and its metal supports, before replacing pieces with new material.[7][8]

The Asgard is often confused with the "Dulcibella"; the boat referenced in Robert Erskine Childers's classic novel The Riddle of the Sands.[9] The "Dulcibella" was a totally different vessel.[10]

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ a b c Robert Erskine Childers, Private Papers (Trinity College Library, Dublin)
  2. ^ a b Ring (1996), pps. 95-99.
  3. ^ Colin Archer Gjenværende Skøyter
  4. ^ Boyle (1977), pps. 185-196.
  5. ^ Asgard Memorial, Howth, County Dublin
  6. ^ Asgard takes to the air on way back to sea
  7. ^ Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Boat
  8. ^ Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Vessel. Seascapes News Summary - 10th December 2007. RTÉ (2007-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
  9. ^ Boyle (1977), pps. 108-119.
  10. ^ Dulcibella and the Riddle of the Sands
Sources
  • Ring, Jim (1996). Erskine Childers: A Biography. London: John Murray. ISBN 0719556813. 
  • Boyle, Andrew (1977). The Riddle Of Erskine Childers. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 0091284902. 

[edit] External links

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