LÉ Muirchú

LÉ "Muirchú" was a ship in the Irish Naval Service. She was the former Royal Navy ship HMY "Helga" and was famously involved in shelling Liberty Hall in Dublin from the River Liffey during the Easter Rising of 1916.

"Helga" was purchased by the Irish Free State and renamed "Muirchú" (Irish: "Hound of the Sea").

She sank off the Wexford coast after disposal in 1947. The wheel was recovered from the wreck by local divers and can now be seen in Kehoes Pub in Kilmore Quay

The "Muirchú" was built in Liffey Dockyard in 1908 as a fishery protection cruiser and was named "Helga II". She was then under control of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland) until she was taken over by the Admiralty in March 1915 when she became officially described as "H.M.Y. Helga", an armed steam yacht. At this time the "II" was dropped from her name and she served as an anti-submarine patrol vessel as well as undertaking escort duty in the Irish Sea. In April 1918 she was credited with the sinking of a submarine off the Isle of Man and for the remainder of her career she carried a star on her funnel as an award for this achievement.

In October of the same year the RMS "Leinster" was torpedoed off the Kish and 517 were lost. The "Helga" was fuelling in Dun Laoghaire at the time and managed to rescue ninety of the passengers. Perhaps it was for her shelling of Liberty Hall in April 1916 that the "Helga" is best known. She was later used to transport the British auxiliary troops known as Black and Tans around the coast when many of the roads in Ireland were rendered impassable by Irish forces in the War of Independence. Eventually the "Helga" was handed over to the Irish Free State in August 1923 and was renamed "Muirchú". She thus became one of the first ships in the newly established Irish Navy. However, in the following year the vessel was returned to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to carry on her task of fishery protection. It was not until the actual day on which the Second World War was declared that the Marine and Coastwatching Service was again established and on 12th December, 1939 the "Muirchú" was taken over by this Service from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

It is of particular interest to note that Colonel Lawlor was appointed Commanding Officer of the Marine and Coastwatching Service in January, 1940.

"Muirchú" was sold to Hammond Lane Foundry by Marine Service, and while on passage to Dublin on the 8th May, 1947 she sank off the Saltee Islandsbut not before her entire crew got safely off the historic old ship.

External links

* [http://www.irishships.com/helga.htm "Helga"]
* [http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0017/S.0017.193312130009.html 1933 Seanad Éireann debate re. LÉ "Muirchú"]