Kilmore Quay

[Curragh Plains]

On the road into Kilmore quay, Co. Wexford there is a gun on a mounting outside a premises. It looks like a small naval gun, too early to be anticraft. According to inscription on the gun it dates from 1895 and is of French manufacture. It is difficult to make sense of the various numbers other than the fact that the word 'poids' appears reiterating the French connection. Anybody know any more of this -- was it salvaged from a wreck on the south Wexford coast?

[Steamy Window]

I think this rings a bell! There's a series of books in Wexford called "Wexford in the rare oul' times" by Nicholas Furlong and John Hayes, which has a small piece on it. From memory, it is a French weapon and I think it was used on an armed trawler in the First World War.

If you're in Wexford Town, the Book Centre has the book.

[Curragh Plains]

Thank you Steamy Window, that's a good lead. I must hunt up that book. Still at Kilmore Quay the coastal LOP in use during the Emergency is in a two-storey configuration. Is this an exception from the usual ground level LOP buildings. Perhaps some of our Emergency era specialists might comment if this is a once off or if some of the other LOPs had a two-storey configuration.

[danno]

Naval gun Kilmore

A local historian John Power who lives nearby may be able to assist. One thing for sure is that the gun is not from the Muirchu which lies in about 50m due south of KQ

[sofa]

Thank you Steamy Window, that's a good lead. I must hunt up that book. Still at Kilmore Quay the coastal LOP in use during the Emergency is in a two-storey configuration. Is this an exception from the usual ground level LOP buildings. Perhaps some of our Emergency era specialists might comment if this is a once off or if some of the other LOPs had a two-storey configuration.

I have a book here by Michael Kennedy titled "Guarding Neutral Ireland", the coast

watching service and military intelligence 1939-1945.

It lists all the L.O.P,'s around the coast, but I can not find a Kilmore Quay in it.

[Steamy Window]

Thank you Steamy Window, that's a good lead. I must hunt up that book. Still at Kilmore Quay the coastal LOP in use during the Emergency is in a two-storey configuration. Is this an exception from the usual ground level LOP buildings. Perhaps some of our Emergency era specialists might comment if this is a once off or if some of the other LOPs had a two-storey configuration.

On the issue of the gun, had a look for you today.

There is a picture of the gun in question in volume four of the series, which seems to focus on Wexford around the War of Independence and the Civil War. Perhaps good enough to buy for those pieces alone. There's a caption under the photo which says it was dragged up by a trawler south of the Saltee Islands; it is a French naval swivel gun and was probably used by an armed trawler or "Q" ship. These guns had a particular problem in that the recoil was enough to send the gun overboard! The inscription on it says "St. a C! Mo 1887 n'686-300 k pour ctr de 47"

[Curragh Plains]

Steamy, thank you for such a really helpful response. The plaque referred to is on the mounting, on the gun barrel proper the date 1895 is inscribed so presumably the ensemble dates from post 1895. Thank you again, as interesting to see a little bit of low key naval heritage on open display at Kilmore Quay.