Asgard (yacht)

The "Asgard" is a convert|51|ft|m|sing=on yacht, formerly owned by the English-born Irish nationalist, and writer Robert Erskine Childers (DSC) and his wife Molly Childers. Robert Erskine Childers, Private Papers (Trinity College Library, Dublin)] Ring (1996), pps. 95-99. ] It was bought for £1,000 in 1904 from one of Norway's most famous boat designers, Colin Archer. [ [http://home.online.no/~jeppejul/ColinArcherGjenvaerende.html Colin Archer Gjenværende Skøyter ] ] The interior was custom built to the specifications of Childers and his wife.

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. [Boyle (1977), pps. 185-196.] 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 in response to the arming of the Ulster Volunteers in April. There is a plaque installed into the dock wall in Howth as a memorial to this historic boat journey. [ [http://www.irishseashipping.co.uk/irishseamemorials/Memorials/Eire/asgard/asgard.htm Asgard Memorial, Howth, County Dublin ] ] Shortly after the Easter Rising, the Asgard was put into long-term dry-dock in Northern Wales, where it was sold in 1928.

In 1961, the Irish Government procured the aging vessel and used it as a training vessel until 1974, when it was dry-docked and installed inside Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin where it remained as a museum attraction, until 2001. [ [http://www.independent.ie/national-news/asgard-takes-to-the-air-on-way-back-to-sea-350799.html Asgard takes to the air on way back to sea] ] .

As of December 2007, the Asgard Restoration Project is underway in Collins Barracks, Dublin.cite web | title =Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Vessel | work = Seascapes News Summary - 10th December 2007 | publisher = RTÉ | date = 2007-12-10 | url =http://www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/1175724.html | accessdate = 2008-06-07 ] 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. [ [http://www.marinetimes.ie/seascapes.html Restoring Ireland's Most Historic Boat] ]

The Asgard is often confused with the "Dulcibella"; the boat referenced in Robert Erskine Childers's classic novel "The Riddle of the Sands". [Boyle (1977), pps. 108-119.] The "Dulcibella" was a totally different vessel. [ [http://www.yalumba.co.uk/Framesets/Dulcibella.htm Dulcibella and the Riddle of the Sands] ]

Trivia

* There is an Irish pub in Boston, USA called the Asgard. It is located adjecent to MIT.

ee also

* Asgard II

References

;Notes

;Sources
*cite book | last = Ring | first = Jim | authorlink = | title = Erskine Childers: A Biography | publisher = John Murray | date = 1996 | location = London | pages = | isbn = 0719556813
*cite book | last = Boyle | first = Andrew | title = The Riddle Of Erskine Childers | publisher = Hutchinson | date = 1977 | location = London | pages = | isbn = 0091284902