Food Ship Re-enactment today in Dublin Port

 

The Food Ships that saved Dublin families from Starvation

 

On September 27^th, 1913, the ss Hare crossed the bar in Dublin and brought food for thousands of starving trade unionists and their families. It was the first of many voyages by the Hare and its sister vessels, the ss Pioneer and ss New Fraternity, that kept death at bay in the terrible winter of 1913-1914.

It has been said that the money could as easily have been sent over and paid out to the strikers instead. But Larkin wanted the workers and their families to see the power of collective action and there was no better way than watching the vessels come up the Liffey armed with food loaded at the British Co-Operative stores in Salford and brought down the Mersey Ship Canal to Liverpool before setting off across the Irish Sea. Besides, delivering food instead of money would ensure none of this aid was spent on drink.

The goods were stored in the Manchester Shed on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay throughout the Lockout. The last of the food was distributed in February 1914, as the men returned to work. Altogether the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress collected £93,518. The amounts ranged from £1,000 a week provided by the Miners Federation to 10s from the stokers on the HMS Edinburgh. By late November 255,330 packets of tea had been shipped to Dublin, 255,000 bags of sugar, 255,330 packets of margarine, 597,000 loaves of bread, 251,804 bags of potatoes, 1,856 lb of Jacob’s Biscuits, 72,639 pots of jam, 85,330 tins of fish, 12,500 boxes of cheese and almost 885 tons of coal.

Click More for programme of Events

Food Ship – Programme of Events – Saturday, October 5th

 

10.30               St. Brigid to pick up press/media and nominated personnel

 

11.00               St. Brigid departs through Eastlink Bridge

12.00               10 nominated persons to board the SS Hare

                        Finglas Brass Band perform at Quayside

 

12.15               SS Hare departs berth 35

                        2 tugs standing by in the Liffey to give salute

                        The SS Hare will lead ships through Eastlink Bridge

                        Also LE Ciara and the tugs with the St. Brigid accompanied by a number of Sailing Clubs

12.25               Pass through Eastlink Bridge

12.30               SS Hare through Samuel Beckett Bridge welcomed by The Finglas Pipe Band           

12.40               SS Hare berth at City Quay between the two old

                        Warehouses (ex BJ Marine) Gangplank down  Dockers board SS Hare and commence to unload sacks

                        LE Ciara to berth alongside Sir John Rogerson’s

                        Quay tugs to remain east of the Samuel Beckett Bridge

                        St. Brigid to manoeuvre with passengers and Press disembark on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay        

12.50               Children present food vouchers and parcels are distributed

Children rummage and start eating from sacks

12.55               Joe O’Flynn introduce Henry Upton, Deputy Lord Mayor

                        Deputy Lord Mayor-Formal welcome

                        John Douglas, President, ICTU addresses the crowd

                        Len McCluskey, British TUC addresses the gathering

                        Joe O’Flynn, closing comments and welcomes representatives from Crumlin Children’s Hospital – Cheque presentation

                        (Photoshoot with children and dockers in background)

 1.15                The ‘READ’ by Dublin Dockers Preservation Society

 1.25                Presentation of plaques to St. Patrick’s and Stella Maris Rowing Clubs

 

 1.30                Music and Storytelling