An Irishwoman's Diary

Wonder at the vocabulary of the sea. Someone reared in China has to know several thousand characters, while so many other languages require knowledge of distinct alphabets. Yet with each of 26 letters on a flag, or a series of long and short dots and dashes for those who still know Morse, messages at sea can be transmitted clearly and quickly to an international audience. And understood.

It is a point beautifully made by Jean François Deniau in a new dictionary which he has just published in France. Dictionnaire amoureux de la mer, as it is entitled, is just that - a lexicon by a lover of the sea, for like-minded souls, and a work of literature focused on the "route of all adventures".

And those many adventurers who set sail into the unknown are profiled in the 550-page work, which is also illustrated by the author. Every sailor is an explorer, Deniau believes. Yet if one was to ask him when he would have preferred to live, it would have been during that era of the "great discoveries", he adds.

Personal approach

Deniau takes a very personal approach to his project, which begins with "A" for Alpha, the first letter of the international signals code, and ends with "Zoulou". He explains the latter term very simply. "Bravo Zoulou" is the phrase used by national marine authorities after manoeuvres, exercises and operations, when they want to say "finished, congratulations".

In between, there is his own fascinating interpretation of events such as the discovery of Tahiti, the navigation of the North-West Passage, the storms of Cape Horn, the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, and the stories of Blue Beard. Christopher Columbus, Captain James Cook and the late Eric Tabarly - who lost his life off this coastline after a wonderful sailing career - find their place here, as do the likes of our own St Brendan and those young trainees who built the Viking longship on the banks of the Liffey over 10 years ago.

There is even reference to a French sailing term, "irlandaise", which he explains as the emergency measure taken when caught with too much sail out in a squall. The solution, which once saved his life, is to cut open large vents in the sail. "Vive Irlande", he adds wryly.

Then there is his account of the wild and exposed isle of Ouessant off the north-west French coast, where the women govern while the men work. Its famous lighthouse, Stiff, was built by Vauban in 1695, and a new tower beside it controls all the traffic of the English Channel, including super-tankers bound for the "grand" ports of Europe. It boasts possibly the only local tourism committee that publishes and distributes a detailed map of shipwrecks - for that represents the reality of its own harsh environment. Dictionnaire amoureux de la mer by Jean François Deniau of the Académie française is published by Editions Plon-Perrin of 76, Rue Bonaparte, 75285 Paris Cedex 06 at €23, paperback.

John de Courcy Ireland

If only the French can produce such an inspirational work, and can give such priority to their own maritime heritage, then the Irish (or a small, but merry, band of same) are making some attempts to catch up. Late last month, our distinguished maritime historian Dr John de Courcy Ireland was guest of honour at a seminar in Galway hosted by the Heritage Council.

The theme was "enhancement and protection of the heritage of our seas and coasts". Convened by Prof William Smyth, the seminar aimed to look at the current state of the coastline, with a view to influencing the next heritage plan. "The more vibrant our coastal communities are, the better," Prof Smyth explains. "Some 60 per cent of the Irish population lives in a coastal zone, and that also includes some 70 per cent of the urban population. So the pressures on it are enormous."

Yet any change in coast-related activity will have a major impact on culture, he says. Take boatbuilding as one example. Any decline in this affects associated activities, and is bound to have an influence on vocabulary. When words applicable to such a skill are no longer used, they are lost - unless previously recorded.

Recurrent theme

A diverse range of experts invited to the Galway seminar discussed issues such as planning, folklore, the impact of new regulations on the small boat sector, the state of the marine environment. The one recurrent theme was the diverse and fragmented nature of current administrative structures - and this was even before the Taoiseach's attempt to squeeze the Department of the Marine into a new ministerial portfolio together with communications and natural resources.

The council intends to carry out baseline studies on primary sources and archival material relating to coastal heritage; and the broad area of foreshore will also be addressed. Positive developments, such as the Bantry Bay Charter in west Cork, will also be examined in more detail. The aim is to produce a policy document within the next two years, Prof Smyth adds.

Given the pace of change,and the rate at which this coastline is being washed away, one hopes this will not be too late.