Arklow Maritime & Heritage Museum Curiosities
Arklow Maritime
& Heritage Museum Curiosities
Arklow Maritime
& Heritage Museum
Sorry
Buoys oh buoys
Today they are usually made of plastic; fifty years ago they were made of glass.
Before that they were heavily painted canvas bags with a wooden bung at the top.
But the original marker buoys and net-floats were made from animal hide.
Pig skin was perfect - it was a good size and water-resistant, especially when treated with preservative.
Pigs can't fly - no matter how hard we wish - but they can stay above water. As they said in the old days, the only part of a pig you can't use is the Oink!
Buoys oh buoys
Today they are usually made of plastic; fifty years ago they were made of glass.
Before that they were heavily painted canvas bags with a wooden bung at the top.
But the original marker buoys and net-floats were made from animal hide.
Pig skin was perfect - it was a good size and water-resistant, especially when treated with preservative.
Pigs can't fly - no matter how hard we wish - but they can stay above water. As they said in the old days, the only part of a pig you can't use is the Oink!
Pitcairn Island
Remember Clark Gable having a tiff with Charles Laughton (1935) Or Marlon Brandon and Trevor Howard squaring up to each other (1962) What about Mel Gibson casting Anthony
Hopkins adrift in a small boat in 1984? These were all versions of a true story - The Mutiny on the Bounty. Lt. William Bligh (he was captain of the Bounty, but his naval rank was lieutenant) was a hard disciplinarian, but probably no worse than the normal for the time. Many of his crew mutinied and settled on a small Pacific island called Pitcairn.
Their descendants still live there, eking out a living from selling hand-made souvenirs to tourists. We have several such items in the museum brought back to Arklow by local seamen whose travels took them to this remote spot.
This carving was brought back from Pitcairn Island by ??? and is on display with several others in the museum.
Pitcairn Island
Remember Clark Gable having a tiff with Charles Laughton (1935) Or Marlon Brandon and Trevor Howard squaring up to each other (1962) What about Mel Gibson casting Anthony
Hopkins adrift in a small boat in 1984? These were all versions of a true story - The Mutiny on the Bounty. Lt. William Bligh (he was captain of the Bounty, but his naval rank was lieutenant) was a hard disciplinarian, but probably no worse than the normal for the time. Many of his crew mutinied and settled on a small Pacific island called Pitcairn.
Their descendants still live there, eking out a living from selling hand-made souvenirs to tourists. We have several such items in the museum brought back to Arklow by local seamen whose travels took them to this remote spot.
This carving was brought back from Pitcairn Island by a local Arklow seaman, donated by Desmond Heaney and is on display with several others in the museum.
All the way from Wales ... er ... sorry, whales
Many people find the hunting and killing of whales offensive, others see it as merely a job. Over the years several Arklow men have worked on whaling ships and, as sailors have always done, they brought home souvenirs of their voyages. In one of our cases is a small collection of photographs of a whale factory ship at work, and three or four items which some visitors might wish to avoid. What look like cow horns in this photo are in fact whale's teeth (yes, some species do have teeth). The more rounded object is also a gruesome momento of the industry, a whale's ear-drum.
All the way from Wales ... er ... sorry, whales
Many people find the hunting and killing of whales offensive, others see it as merely a job. Over the years several Arklow men have worked on whaling ships and, as sailors have always done, they brought home souvenirs of their voyages. In one of our cases is a small collection of photographs of a whale factory ship at work, and three or four items which some visitors might wish to avoid.
What look like cow horns in this photo are in fact whale's teeth (yes, some species do have teeth). The more rounded object is also a gruesome momento of the industry, a whale's ear-drum.
The Arklow Gansey
Believed to be unique to Arklow is a type of pull-over called a gansey.
Unlike most jumpers which are knitted front and back which are then joined down the sides, this was a seamless garment knitted on a single needle.
It was a tube, a body-stocking. Tapering off at the arm-pits was the tricky bit for the knitter.
Locally these were called 'the gussets' and the more expert knitters lived in an area still officially known as Gusset Lane.
The high lanolin content in the wool made the gansey more water resistant than might be at first thought.
The fact that the style of knitting was unique to Arklow, local fishermen and sailors who had been washed overboard and found on some far away shore could be identified as 'Arklow' by the gansey which would be sent here for the family to identify their particular pattern and so claim the body for burial.
The Arklow Gansey
Believed to be unique to Arklow is a type of pull-over called a gansey. Unlike most jumpers which are knitted front and back which are then joined down the sides, this was a seamless garment knitted on a single needle. It was a tube, a body-stocking. Tapering off at the arm-pits was the tricky bit for the knitter. Locally these were called 'the gussets' and the more expert knitters lived in an area still officially known as Gusset Lane. The high lanolin content in the wool made the gansey more water resistant than might be at first thought.
