Boyd Memorial

The Boyd Memorial is located on the East Pier in Dún Laoghaire. The harbour/sea has shaped Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire) and this memorial encapsulates this connection. Man cannot control the sea at all times, regardless of how much they may alter the landscape around it, for example by building dams or harbours.

Boyd Memorial

The Boyd Memorial was erected in honour of Captain Boyd and his crew who lost their lives in 1861. There was huge storm raging and they noticed two ships being swept in onto the rocks near the East Pier. Despite their heroic efforts the crew of all the ships perished, except for one man. As a mark of respect to all the crewmen, all shops and businesses closed for the public funeral. Captain Boyd was buried in the grounds of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and his crew were buried in Carrickbrennan graveyard

Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Boyd Memorial
Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Boyd Memorial

The Boyd Memorial was erected in honour of Captain Boyd and his crew who lost their lives in 1861. There was huge storm raging and they noticed two ships being swept in onto the rocks near the East Pier. Despite their heroic efforts the crew of all the ships perished, except for one man. As a mark of respect to all the crewmen, all shops and businesses closed for the public funeral. Captain Boyd was buried in the grounds of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and his crew were buried in Carrickbrennan graveyard

Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

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A huge storm swept the Irish coast in 1861 and of the 135 vessels sunk during the storm, 13 of them sunk in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Captain John McNeill Boyd was captain of the 'Ajax' a Royal Navy guardship at the time. He saw two boats crash against the rocks at the east pier and immediately headed to rescue them, together with his crew. They tried to rescue the crew from the 'Neptune' but to no avail.

Not only did the crew of the 'Neptune' perish (except for one person), Captain Boyd and his crew were also killed. The crew from the other ship 'Industry' were saved (except for their captain). The bodies of Captain Boyd's crew were washed ashore days later, whilst the body of Boyd himself was not discovered for weeks.

Boyd Memorial (now)

In 1861 a huge storm wrecked 12 ships around the Kingstown coastline. One heroic crew under the direction of Captain Boyd tried to rescue two of the ships but they were not successful and perished in the attempt. A memorial to Boyd and his men stands on the East Pier near to the location of the tragedy.

Boyd Memorial (now)

Boyd Memorial (now)

In 1861 a huge storm wrecked 12 ships around the Kingstown coastline. One heroic crew under the direction of Captain Boyd tried to rescue two of the ships but they were not successful and perished in the attempt. A memorial to Boyd and his men stands on the East Pier near to the location of the tragedy.

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The crew of the 'Ajax' were buried in the graveyard at Carrickbrennan. A memorial to Captain Boyd was also erected here. The grave dug in the graveyard for Captain Boyd was not used because of the delay in recovering his body. Instead his remains were interred in the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The memorial erected on the East Pier is close to the spot where the tragedy occurred and it has not been moved over the years. In 1951 a reader complained in the 'Sunday Independent' that the memorial inscription was becoming difficult to read and since then the memorial has been repaired a number of times. This is due partly to its location making it vulnerable to weathering by the waves.