A LINK TO THE PAST
WELCO:ME TO VICTORIA LOCK
NewrlJ Maritime Association
is delighted
event giving long overdue recognition
Commodore
EDDIE QUI
to host the Ulster HistoflJ Circle lor this prestigious
to Captain
o£ the Fisher £teet. The firm operated
We are pleased and privileged
HafflJ Hollywood MBr., former
a £teet o£ coastal vessels which numbered
17
at its zenith,with NewrlJ as their port o£ register.
This lock,the Albert Basin and the last section o£ the waterway
were completed
from the former oil tanks site
and opened in April 1850. This fine tribute to Victorian
hmctions just as it did 165 years ago and is the entrance
Severe damage was caused to the sea gates following
lor many months, and in January
William ',owned by J& A Gardner
engineering
a bomb blast in 1957, closing the port
1968 the port was closed again.This time the collier 'Saint
Warrenpoint
and WoW were
six years later the port closed and all business relocated
and the cmtain came down on 232 years o£ Canal commercial
had played such a key role in the development
to
Hollywoods
trading which
the comings and goings o£ ships and the men who manually
name in the locality and P.ddie remembers
active at sea when he was growing up.He also has vivid memories o£ a black 10
Walnut,disappeared
in the Irish Sea with the loss of 18 men.
From the 18 men lost,6 hailed from Fathom and were all known to P.ddie.Iiis neiehbour
on 27th October
seemed to envelop the close knit rural community
as Lockmaster
which had suffered with regularity
operated
over the
Ann &' Eddie Quinn
the lock
lor the NeWl'lj Canal
in 1901 and
here,a position he held until retirement
in
and as a boy worked at Hawthorn
describes the Captain
as a wee gentleman
Cottage
today as he knew him
for 6d a day like
who liked his cigarettes
Mickey Fearon he
and a drop o£Powers
alsornHe recalls that "Wee HafflJ' gave him his first pair of long trousers which were ideal for
the growing lad due to HdfflJs small stature.
P.ddie Quinn is greatly valued for his fantastic recall of a past generation
which has totally disappearedHe
The last Lockmaster
was Mate on
Tom Mc
1941 and P.ddie recalls that a cloud
lived on site
personally
The NeWl'lj Port and Harbom Trust assumed responsibility
was appointed
9 Captain
month period in NeWl'lj port history when 2 of Fishers ships.ss Privet and SS
P.ddie is well placed to unveil the Blue Plaque for HarflJ Hollywood
0 Neill
as there was little to sustain
years.
gates.
Mr James
1951.
is a very prevelant
so many of the neighbours
the men took jobs in the Port o£ NewrlJ or went to
Ardle was drowned on the SS Walnut
o£ Newry.
The Victoria Lock is 220 feet in length and 50 feet wide and the Lockmaster
supervising
His only brother Felix was a seaman,like
people in the townlandTraditionally
o£Glasgow and a regular visitor to NewrlJ with coal
shipments, failed to stop in the Lock and collided with the sea gates.Harland
involved in the repairsJust
Quinn
area on the slopes o£ Fathom Mountain.
sea.Hollywood
to, and exit £rom,the Port O£ Newry.
to be joined today by former Fathom resident,I:ddie
whose sprightly, gait belies his 91 years.P.ddie was born and raised on the 'Rock',an isolated
"MY
at Victoria Lock was a man with a lifetime o£ experience
at sea and he
Olive, the last new build ship lor Fishers. Mickey Fearon was in charge lor 6
social commentdflJ
is an excellent
and a way of life
somce of re£erence,providing
on local histoflJ.TheP ort O£ NewrlJ closed to commercial
197 4,all business transferring
to Warrenpoint.There
years until the port closed in March 1974. Now in his 91st year, Mickey is one o£our 'walking
today ,an area once synonymous with the occupation
reference books' and the oldest surviving NeWl'lj seaman.
sailor.
a detailed
traHic in March
are no seamen in the Townland of Fathom
when almost eveflJ house had at least 1
AN ICONIC MARINER AND ICONIC SIiIPS OF
TIiE NEWRY CANAL
OUR SCIiEDULE OF EVENTS
SATURDAY 25TIi JULY 2015
Unveiling of a Blue Plaque by the Ulster History Circle,
Victora Locks, Fathom, Newry
Our musical programme comes courtesy of
Camlough Brass and Reed Band under the direction of their
Conductor, Mr. Tom McCabe.
TIiE CIiAIRMAN OF TIiE ULSTER IiISTORY CIRCLE,
MR CIiRIS SPURR, WILL PRESIDE AS MC.
liE WILL CALL UPON TliE FOLLOWING
Michael O'Hare, Chairman of Newry Maritime Association
Councillor Naomi Bailie, Chairperson NM&D DC
TIiE UNVEILING
Launched in 1947, the "55 Balsa" was
Captain Holly woods last Command.
The Blue Plaque will be proudly unveiled today by a hiend
and neighbour of Captain Hollywood, Fathom Native,
Mr Eddie Quinn.
We are honoured and privileged to have this unique link to a
previous era through the presence of Mr. Quinn here today.
THERE WILL BE POST EVENT liOSPITALITY IN TliE
GRANVUE HOTEL, OMEATli, COUNTY LOUTli.
Captain Harry Hollywood
Commodore, fisher fleet Newry
December 196.3 saw the arrival oj the
last new build collier for the
fisher fleet, "Mv Olive".
Todal} we pal} tribute to Commodore
Captain
Hartl} Holll}wood MBE, formerll} of
"Hawthorn Cottage" Lower Pathom,Co Armagh.
"Harry Hollywood was a wee gentleman and he
.....Mickey fearon (91) former Newry seaman with
A LITANY OF INTERCESSION FOR SEAFARERS.
THIS IS P ARTICULARL
knew his job inside out"
over 40 years sea service.
Y DEDICATED
CONNECTED
TO ALL THOSE SEAMEN
TO THE PORT OF NEWRY.
for the worlds harvest,lor the fruits o£land and sea,£or the creativitlj
These were tOU8b men and tbelJ are just not around anlJmore "
..._.Leo Cunnin8bam,Carlin8Jord L008b Pilot,55 lJears service.
for the couraae,steadfastness,and
These testiInonials
are indicative
of the integrity
men he represents, the NewrtJ seamen.Born
wi th his brother and like his father,he
of Captain
liollywood
and the genre of
devotion o£all who serve at sea,and for skills o£seamanship,
engineerina
followed the call of the sea,a time honoured
tradition
for the work o£all those who build and equip our ships and provide for their sa£etlj,and for
those who tend to the needs o£seafarers.
lie was 14 when he joined the local linn of ship owners and coal importersJoseph
Fisher and
for those who serve in the navies o£the world,£or Merchant
known to everyone
and sailed through 2 world wars becomine
Commodore
liartl) witnessed
for seafarers who are far from home and loved ones,who know the pain o£isolation,anxietl}
and £ear,and who long for help and supporl.
of the Fisher Heet of 17
their red,whi te and bl ue funnels and similar house Haas Hyine proudly hom
their mastheads, the Newry registered
North West Europe.conditions
ships were a familiar sight across Ireland,Britain
were spartan and navigational
and
aids were basic and often the
an MBE in 1945 and travelled
for those who cartl} out the service o£ docks
and harbours,who
crew li£eboats,and
who dalj and night watch over our coasts.
ships would be away hom their home port for months on end.
to Buckineham
Palace with his niece
for alllJoung people who studlJ the skills
Anna Maauire where he received his award hom King George Vl.
o£the sea,and for pupils and staff o£
Captain
liollywoods
and he remained
last command was the SS Balsa launched
by Scotts of Bowling in 1947
seafarina schools and colleaes.
in charge of the ship until he retired.
for the shipowners,aaents,and
When 'Wee liarty" joined Fishers,the founder Joseph was in charge.Frank
Fisher succeeded
representatives
union
and the Associations
his father in 1901 and when he died in 1951 his son Jim took over meaning liarty had worked
which care for seafarers and their families.
for 3 generations
Also for the families o£seafarers who face
of the family.When
liarty
retired in 1953 Jim Fishers son John was
working in the company giving him a link with the 4th generation.Iiartl)
lived with a married sister,Lill} Maauire,her
husband and 2 children.Iie
never martied and
loneliness and anxietlJ about loved ones at sea.
died less than a year
Bless
alter he retired in 1954 aaed 78.
Pat and Anna Maguire died within months of each other in 2008 and liawthorn
was demolished
for those o£ the
as 'Wee Hartl} ".Iiis long career at sea spanned over 63 years and he
wi tnessed the transition hom sail to steam and finally motor vessels.'Wee
Hartl) was awarded
Sea£arers,and
fishing fleets.
SonsJust 5 feet tall,he had to stand on a wooden box to see over the ships wheel and was
coasters.With
and navigation.
in 1876, liarty was one of a family of 5 and alone
in Fathom.
partition
o£different nations and
cui tures,and for the seafarers who convelJ them to our porls .
Cottaae
in June 2013.
1 tip my bat to tbose men.! dont know bow tbey did wbat tbey did,but tbey did it in tbe
tOt'8best working conditions andwitb tbe most basic navi8ationalaids .
...__Captain Tom RamselJ,1ormerllJ oj Fatbom Co Armash,
Retired senior Captain, Esso Petroleum Fleet.
0 Lord,all
who sail upon the seas,
and all who care for their well beina.