Will LÉ Eithne weigh final anchor in Cork?

Progress has been made in efforts to bring a decommissioned naval flagship to Leeside where it would become a permanent maritime exhibition.

In February, Cork City Council agreed to write to Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin TD, asking his department to consider locating former Irish Navy patrol vessel LÉ Eithne in Cork city.

Replying to the motion this week, An Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he was aware of the important role LÉ Eithne has played in Irish maritime and naval heritage and he had not yet made a final decision on the disposal of LÉ Eithne, but hopes to do so shortly.

He said both Cork County Council and Dublin Port had previously expressed interest in acquiring the ship to former Defence Minister Simon Coveney TD but had since withdrawn their bids.

“The Department of Defence is examining possible options for disposal before a decision is made. In this context, if Cork City Council has a proposal to make, it should carry out a fully costed feasibility study as soon as possible and submit it to the Department for consideration,” said the Tánaiste.

Welcoming the reply, the motion’s proposer, Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran, said he believed Cork would be an excellent location for the ship.

He said: “The Port of Cork is in the process of leaving the city docklands. It means a location close to the city centre will open up, even one right beside the train station. That's an opportunity to locate a museum to the role of the Naval Service and to also maintain a maritime connection for the city after the Port of Cork leaves.”

Cllr Moran continued: “Cork is the home of the Irish Naval Service and the LÉ Eithne was built here as the flagship of the Irish Naval Service. Indeed, she was the last naval service ship to be built in Ireland.

“She served in fisheries patrol and more recently in the Mediterranean, during the rescue of migrants, and again as part of Ireland's response to the pandemic.

“That range of service is something that should be celebrated and the public educated about. The city has the best opportunity before it to do that now.”

Commissioned in 1984, LÉ Eithne was constructed at Verolme Dockyard at Rushbrooke in Cork county. The ship was decommissioned in 2022. The ship is named after Eithne, the daughter of the one-eyed Fomorian King, Balor in Irish mythology.