IRISH people who have died at sea were remembered during services in Dublin and Cork yesterday, part of the annual seafarers commemorations organised by the Maritime Institute of Ireland.
The US ambassador, Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith, was among those who attended morning Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Dublin's City Quay. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Brendan Lynch, also attended the service, after which wreaths were laid at the merchant seamen's memorial nearby. Later in the day, a service was held in St Patrick's Cathedral, while in Cork there was an ecumenical commemoration at the Harbour Commissioners Office.
The Taoiseach and the British and French naval services were represented at the events in Dublin, at which prayers were read by members of the Maritime Institute, the Naval Service, the Master Mariners Association and seafarers. The house flags of shipping companies operating during the second World War were carried in procession by the Sea Scouts.
The commemorations, which have been held annually since 1951, are dedicated to those lost at sea, but especially the 150 people who died while working on Irish ships and trawlers sunk during the second World War.
Victims of recent tragedies, including the six fishermen who have been missing since the Carrackatine trawler sank off Donegal, were also remembered in the prayers.
