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Mon 11 Nov 2009An Irishman's Diary
ON December 8th, 1954, gale-force winds ripped across Ireland, sometimes reaching hurricane force. Torrents of rain poured from the sky. Mountainous waves pounded the coast and sent boats and ferries scurrying for shelter.
A Swedish ship, the Heindal, ran aground on the Arklow Bank and a 400-ton collier, The Downshire, was grounded on the sands near Dundrum, Co Down. In Howth, fishing boats sank when they broke away from their moorings. All the lifeboat stations along the Irish coast were put on alert. The Howth, Wicklow and Arklow lifeboats were all called to the aid of vessels in distress.
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