
Anglesey Info
Maritime History in Anglesey
The Maritime History of Holyhead and Anglesey, North Wales.

Holyhead Harbour in the 1830’s – The scene from St Cybi’s Churchyard
By 1820, steam ships had replaced the sailing ships operating between Holyhead and Ireland. To tell the full story of the maritime history of Holyhead, which relied almost entirely on trade with Ireland, it is also necessary for us to include as equally important those ports of Ireland into which the ships sailed. There was Kingstown (later renamed Dun Laoghaire), North Wall in Dublin, and Greenore on the Carlingford Lough.

Kingstown Harbour
There are also the stories of two companies that competed for the prestigious and rewarding Irish Mail contract; the LNWR (London and North Western Railways), and the CofDSPCo (City of Dublin Steam Pack Company). This rivalry for the mail contract would span 7 decades, during which time ships of both companies would be lost by accident, and by acts of war, resulting in heavy loss of life.
By 1882 there were seven sailings a day out of Holyhead to Ireland – 2 ships carrying mail, 2 passenger express ships, 2 cargo ships, and 1 ship on the Greenore service. There were of course the corresponding amount of ships inbound per day.

Anglesey, Holyhead, Railway Hotel and Landing Stage
During World War One (WWI) four of Holyhead’s ships were sunk, three by enemy action and one in a collision. See the links on the right hand column to read the story of the Tara (Hibernia), Anglia, Leinster and Connemara. During World War Two (WWII) the Scotia was sunk rescuing soldiers from the beaches in Dunkirk – read her story here too. Each of these ships were crewed by Holyhead men and women, with devastating effects on the morale of the people of the town.
One of the main problems associated with the ships steam engines was the short life of their boilers before they had to be replaced, sometimes only 5/6 years. Replacing the boilers was an expensive and time consuming necessity, partially eradicated when it was decided to open workshops in Holyhead to make their own. This replacement became unnecessary after 1888, due to improved design and materials.

SS Curraghmore – Holyhead 1919-1930. Later renamed the Duke of Abercorn
Holyhead’s history of shipping links with Ireland goes back hundreds of years, and a great many people have – and continue – to travel to Ireland via this the shortest ferry sailing route. On Newry Beach, in the old lifeboat station you will find the wonderful Holyhead Maritime Museum. A visit is an absolute must. All of its part time volunteers have extensive maritime and local knowledge that they are happy to share with any visitor.

The Maritime Museum in Holyhead


S.S. Connemara and the Coal Carrier Retriever Sinking in 1916

The Sinking of the H.M.H.S. Anglia

The Sinking of the R.M.S. Leinster

The Sinking of the H.M.S. Tara

Chronological List of Ships Operating on the Holyhead to Ireland Route

The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company

Rail & Shipping History in Holyhead, Anglesey
