UPCOMING Event
The Final Voyage of the Thetis
DATE
October 25th, 2024
In November 1834, a sail ship went aground on a beach in North Kerry. The ship called the Thetis was returning from collecting timber in Quebec, having delivered thousands of Irish immigrants to the New World. Engineer and sailor Paul O’Dowd has always been intrigued by the ship and in The Final Voyage of the Thetis he sets out to untangle the story of the fatal ship, while using its last voyage as a portal into the world of 19th century sailing.
O’Dowd uncovers how these unsuitable ships were able to navigate the Atlantic and find their way through the treacherous waters of The Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ships like the Thetis was also used to bring thousands of Irish immigrants across the Atlantic to Canada and the United States. The passengers on board the Thetis had to endure crowded, unsanitary conditions with limited access to food and drink for at least six weeks, experiences O’Dowd describes in detail in the pages of his debut book
The Final Voyage of the Thetis will be launched in Kerry Writers’ Museum on Friday October 25th at 7 pm.
Admission free. Includes light refreshments.