When local drone operator Nigel Motyer captured aerial footage of a 19th century boat buried beneath the sand of a north Dublin beach, little did he realise it would lead to the discovery of three other unknown historical shipwrecks.
Motyer’s find last July was alerted to the National Monuments Service (NMS) whose job it is to investigate and protect many of the 18,000 documented wrecks around Ireland’s coastline, about 80 per cent of which remain lost to the sea.
The skeletal ship remains Motyer spotted from the air – possibly an old fishing vessel – had become visible due to the shifting sands along Portmarnock strand, a 4km stretch of beach known to have 13 other wrecks.
It had already been logged in State records and was visible in 2017 but not before then since the 1990s.
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For the marine archeologists at the NMS, however, the real excitement lies in the mystery of the three other wrecks whose stories have probably lain undiscovered for generations.
“Some of these vessels were going to exotic places. It’s the bravery of these people going out into really what was a world that was unknown to them,” said NMS senior archaeologist Karl Brady who is heading up this latest investigation.
“Whilst most ships made their destinations, very often a lot of these vessels ended up being wrecked on the shore. And they always have a dramatic story to tell.”
The eastern coastline around Portmarnock is thought to have so many wrecks because of the shelter on offer during storms, such as nearby Howth harbour. Many simply did not make it to safety in time.
The official Wreck Inventory of Ireland shows about 50 recorded in this wider area, ranging from 14th century trading ships to 20th century coal-boats.
Many carry stories of a bygone maritime age, such as the Nicholas, a merchant ship from Co Down that ran aground at Portmarnock during a violent storm in 1306. Its cargo of wine, jewels, copper pots, spices and steel were washed ashore and plundered by locals, resulting in numerous charges of theft.
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When the NMS team arrived at Portmarnock during the summer, it did not immediately find the sunken vessel located by Motyer, but during a thorough inspection of the shore they found three more.
There is no archaeological excavation – so as to protect the structures – but wooden samples can be taken and NMS staff are now combing through archives and newspaper clippings in a bid to identify the wrecks. They can also be compared against logged boats, long known to have disappeared in the area.
“It’s a bit like detective work ... and sometimes we’ll never have the answer,” said Brady.
There are early indications that one of the recent discoveries could be the remains of the Malfilatre, a 25m, 116-tonne schooner from Somerset which sailed 125 years ago, running aground in heavy seas.
While efforts to identify them will continue in the months ahead, the archaeological team will be glad to see the sands slip back over the hulls’ remains, forming a protective layer and preserving them into the future.
The exact locations of sunken ships are used to advise marine works and development to avoid them. These are historical sites, protected from interference.
“It might look like a bit of wood on the beach but actually this vessel could have travelled halfway around the world,” said Brady.
“It has an interesting story and biography to it, and also on this occasion had a very dramatic ending. And sometimes with loss of lives so we have to respect the sites as potentially grave sites and also as important parts of our maritime heritage.”
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