Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II The Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II continued essential overseas trade during the conflict , a period referred to as The Long Watch by Irish mariners . Irish merchant shipping saw to it that vital imports continued to arrive and exports , mainly food supplies to Great Britain , were delivered . Irish ships sailed unarmed and usually alone , identifying themselves as neutrals with bright lights and by painting the Irish tricolour and EIRE in large letters on their sides and decks . Nonetheless twenty percent of seamen serving in Irish ships perished , victims of a war not their own : attacked by both sides , though predominately by the Axis powers . Often , Allied convoys could not stop to pick up survivors , while Irish ships always answered SOS signals and stopped to rescue survivors , irrespective of which side they belonged to . Irish ships rescued 534 seamen . At the outbreak of World War II , known as " The Emergency " , Ireland declared neutrality and became isolated as never before . Shipping had been neglected since the Irish War of Independence . Foreign ships , on which Ireland ' s trade had hitherto depended , were less available ; Neutral American ships would not enter the " war zone " . In his Saint Patrick ' s Day address in 1940 , Taoiseach ( Prime Minister ) Éamon de Valera lamented : " " No country had ever been more effectively blockaded because of the activities of belligerents and our lack of ships . . . " " Ireland was a net food exporter . The excess was shipped to Britain . The Irish Mercantile Marine ensured that Irish agricultural , and other , exports reached Britain , and that British coal arrived in Ireland . Some foods such as wheat , citric fruits and tea were imported . Ireland depended on , mainly , British tankers for petroleum . Initially Irish ships sailed in British convoys . In the light of experience they choose to sail alone , relying on their neutral markings . German respect for that neutrality varied from friendly to tragic . " Cross - channel " trade , between Ireland and Britain , was from both national perspectives , the most important Irish trade route . Irish ships crossed the Atlantic on a route defined by the Allies : a line from Fastnet Rock to the Azores and then along the line of latitude at 38° North . Ships on the " Lisbon - run " , imported wheat and fruits from Spain and Portugal , as well as goods transhipped from the Americas . They followed the line of longitude at 12° West , while Allied convoys to Gibraltar were 20° West . There were never more than 800 men , at any one time , serving on Irish ships during the war . There are 149 names on the Seamen ' s Memorial . That is a higher casualty rate than many military units . They are remembered , each year , in ceremonies in Belfast , Cork and Dublin . Background . Following independence in 1921 , there was no state encouragement to develop the mercantile marine . " " Our new leaders seemed to turn their backs upon the sea and to ignore the fact that we are an island " " . Each year the fleet declined . In 1923 , the merchant fleet consisted of 127 ships . This number dropped every year until 1939 when , at the start of World War II , the fleet numbered only 56 ships . Only 5 % of imports were carried on Irish flagged vessels . There were several reasons for this decline : a consequence of the war of independence , a policy of self - sufficiency , the economic depression , the lack of investment and government neglect . Foreign ships , on which Ireland had hitherto depended , were withdrawn . " In the period April 1941 and June 1942 only seven such ships visited the country " . The war of independence ( 1919 – 1921 ) , and the civil war ( 1921 – 1922 ) which followed it , left the country in near economic collapse . There had been destruction of industry and infrastructure . Many industries relocated abroad . It was often cheaper to transport by sea , within Ireland , rather than using the poor road and rail networks . To take advantage of this commercial opportunity , new coasters were acquired during the 1930s , intended to ply between Irish ports . These ships would be invaluable once hostilities began . Many of these small coasters were lost , particularly on the " Lisbon run " , a voyage for which they were never intended . Then – Taoiseach ( Prime Minister ) Éamon de Valera advocated a policy of self - sufficiency . International trade was discouraged . " It was an important status symbol in the modern world for a country to produce her own goods and be self - sufficient . " The economic depression of the early 1930s had been global . It impacted upon Ireland less because of the partial recovery following the civil war and because industry was protected behind tariff barriers established during the Anglo - Irish Trade War ( 1932 – 1938 ) . The need for extra sea capacity was readily met by British and other foreign ships . Foreign ships were used , rather than preserving the home fleet . Banks were reluctant to lend to Irish industry , preferring British government gilts . Although there was state support for many industries , this did not extend to shipping . In 1935 civil servants in de Valera ' s own department warned him of the consequences a war would have on the importation of fuel . He ignored that warning . Earlier , in 1926 the Ports and Harbours Tribunal was initiated . The tribunal received " abundant evidence " of " inefficient , uneconomic and extravagant management " . It submitted a report in 1930 with recommendations which were not implemented until after the war . The tribunal observed " the public generally do not , we fear , appreciate the importance of our harbours . . . " . Vickers - Armstrongs liquidated their subsidiary Vickers ( Ireland ) Ltd . on 15 November 1938 ; their Dublin Dockyard had ceased operation in 1937 . On 2 September 1939 the " " realisation dawned on Ireland that the country was surrounded by water and that the sea was of vital importance to her " " . Response . Seán Lemass as Minister for Industry and Commerce , and later Minister for Supplies sought to address these issues . Many infant industries were developed during the 1930s behind a protective tariff barrier . ( This is the origin of the term " Tariff Jews " , Seán Lemass from 1932 helped Jewish entrepreneurs to set up manufacturing businesses ) These industries proved valuable during the war years . They reduced the need for imports , for example in 1931 over five million pairs of shoes were imported , by 1938 this had fallen to a quarter of a million pairs . Between 1931 and 1938 , Gross Industrial Output rose from £55 million to £90 million ; and Industrial Employment from 162 , 000 to 217 , 000 . In 1933 , the government established the Industrial Credit Corporation to finance industry . In 1938 , Life Assurers were required to hold their reserves in Ireland , to make capital available for industry ; promptly five of the six UK providers closed , lodging their business with Irish Assurance . Private enterprises established included : Grain Importers Ltd . , Animal Feed Stuffs Ltd . , Fuel Importers Ltd . , Oil and Fats Ltd . , Timber Importers Ltd . , and Tea Importers Ltd . Industry was encouraged , such as the plans for Irish National Refineries Ltd . to build an oil refinery . The former Vickers repair yard in Dublin port was reopened , in 1940 , by the Dublin Port and Docks Board . It repaired British and Irish ships . Semi - state enterprises were established , including Irish Shipping , in 1941 . which purchased nine vessels and leased six more . War declared . At the outbreak of the Second World War Ireland declared neutrality . There were a total of 56 Irish ships at the outbreak of World War II ; 15 more were purchased or leased during the conflict , and 16 were lost . Up to then most Irish - registered ships had been flying the red ensign of the United Kingdom ' s Merchant Navy . All were required by UK law to fly the Red Ensign , however some , such as the Wexford Steamship Company ships , had always travelled under the tricolour . With the outbreak of hostilities , choices were forced . The Irish government ordered all Irish ships to fly the tricolour . Some British ships were on the Irish register , such as the whalers which were Scottish - owned ( Christian Salvesen Shipping ) but Irish - registered in order to take advantage of the Irish whale quota . The six whale catchers and the two factory ships were pressed into British naval service , after their owners transferred them to the British registry . Some ships which could be described as British also choose the Tricolour . The " Kerrymore " , which was registered as belonging to R McGowan of Tralee , was actually owned by Kelly Colliers of Belfast . Most of the crew had addresses in loyalist areas of Belfast . For six years they sailed under the tricolour . The Belfast Steamship Company ' s MV " Munster " which operated the Belfast to Liverpool route , ( both British ports ) flew the tricolour . But , no flag was a protection against mines ; the " Munster " struck a mine approaching Liverpool and sank . There were over 200 passengers and 50 crew on board . A few hours later they were all rescued by the collier " Ringwall " . Four were injured ; and one died later . The L & NWR ferries " Cambria " , " Hibernia " and " Scotia " were Irish - registered and sailed between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead , under the Red Ensign . Their British crews were taken aback when the tricolour was hoisted . They went on strike and refused to sail until the ships were transferred to the British registry and red ensign was restored . " Scotia " was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuation with the loss of 30 crew and 300 troops . " Hibernia " had a fortunate escape on the night of 20 December 1940 . She was berthing at Dún Laoghaire when a German bomber " swooped down " . All lights were extinguished . Bombs fell on the nearby Sandycove railway station . The GWR ferries operated the Rosslare to Fishguard route sailed under the red ensign . Thirty lives were lost when their " Saint Patrick " was bombed and sunk . The British and Irish Steam Packet Company had some of its ships on the British registry with others on the Irish registry . Cargo . Exports . The main export was agricultural produce to Britain . During the First World War , Ireland ' s food production increased to meet Britain ' s needs ; a pattern which would be repeated for the Second World War . In 1916 there were under plough , this increased to in 1918 , and then fell back . By the start of the trade war in 1932 tillage had fallen to . The trade war between Ireland and Britain started in 1932 . During which Britain imposed a tax on Irish products . Cattle from the Irish republic were taxed but cattle from Northern Ireland were not . So , cattle were smuggled across the border . In 1934 / 5 , about 100 , 000 cattle were " exported " in this way . The Department of Supplies was " all in favour of the smuggling and urged that nothing should be done which might stop it " . By then , Britain was anxious to secure Irish food supplies before another world war . Survival in the looming war was the spur . There were a series of agreements from the " cattle - coal pact " of 1935 to the Anglo - Irish Trade Agreement of 1938 which ended the dispute , on terms favourable to Ireland . Under the " cattle - coal pact " , the British set up a central authority for the purchase of cattle , under John Maynard Keynes . The prices set before the war were attractive . As the war progressed , open market prices rose dramatically . Cattle from Northern Ireland fetched a better price , so smuggling , as practised during the trade war resumed . In answer to the demand for food during World War II , the area under plough increased from in 1939 to in 1944 . Studies are inconclusive on how vital Irish food exports were to Britain , due to the difficulties in accounting for the effect of smuggling , the unreliability of statistics , and wartime censorship . While Ireland ' s food production was increasing , British food imports were falling ; for example the UK imported 1 , 360 , 000 tons of food in August 1941 , but only 674 , 000 tons in August 1942 . Before and during the second world war , Ireland was a net food exporter and the Irish people enjoyed a high calorie diet . ( Nonetheless the poor experienced real deprivation ) . Food was donated to war - refugees in Spain . The nation did need to import certain foods , such as fruits , tea and wheat . Nearly half of Ireland ' s wheat was imported from Canada . Domestic food production relied on imported fertilizer and imported animal feeding stuffs . In 1940 , 74 , 000 tons of fertilizer were imported , only 7 , 000 tons arrived in 1941 . Similarly 5 million tons of animal feed were imported in 1940 , falling to one million in 1941 and negligible quantities thereafter . Imports . Although Ireland had a surplus of food , some foods were not grown in Ireland , as the climate was unsuitable . Only small plots of wheat were cultivated . A series of orders for compulsory tillage were enacted , with the threat that those who did not put their fields to wheat would have their land confiscated . In 1939 , of wheat were planted ; by 1945 this had increased to . Yet , a shortfall remained and imports were required . Clashes between smugglers and Customs were commonplace . In 1940 the infamous " Battle of Dowra " took place on the border of Leitrim and Fermanagh . Revenue crews from Blacklion and Glenfarne intercepted over one hundred men with donkey loads of smuggled flour . Unwilling to part with their bounty , the smugglers used cudgels , boots , stones and fists in the ensuing struggle . Most of the flour was destroyed in the fray and some Revenue people were injured . Early in 1942 , the Allies restricted wheat deliveries to Ireland . In return , the Irish threatened to withhold the export of Guinness beer . To the great annoyance of David Gray , the United States Ambassador to Ireland , Ireland received 30 , 000 tons of wheat . Gray complained of " a waste of " a vital necessity for what Americans regard at the best as a luxury and at worst a poison " . " There were plans to build an oil refinery in Dublin . In the event , this refinery was not completed . Nonetheless seven oil tankers were built in Bremen - Vegesack , Germany for Inver Tankers Ltd . Each long and capable of carrying 500 tons were on the Irish register . Britain asked Ireland to requisition the tankers , The reply was that it was not Irish policy to requisition vessels , instead offering to transfer them to the British register . They were transferred on the 6th , war had been declared on the 3rd . Two days after the transfer , on 11 September 1939 , while still flying the Irish tricolour , the " Inverliffey " was sunk . In spite of Captain William Trowsdale ' s protestation that they were Irish , " U - 38 " said that they " were sorry " but they would sink " Inverliffey " as she was carrying petrol to England , considered contraband to the Germans . " U - 38 " s next encounter with the Irish tricolour was less gallant . " U - 38 " shelled the fishing trawler " Leukos " , all 11 crew were lost . Inver Tankers ' entire fleet was lost during the war . U - boat encounters . Vizeadmiral Karl Dönitz issued a standing order to U - boats on 4 September 1940 , which defined belligerent , neutral and friendly powers . Neutral included " Ireland in particular " . The order concluded : " Ireland forbids the navigation of her territorial waters by warships under threat of internment . That prohibition is to be strictly observed out of consideration for the proper preservation of her neutrality . Signed , Dönitz " . However those orders did not always protect Irish ships . Wolf Jeschonnek , commander of " U - 607 " was mildly reprimanded " An understandable mistake by an eager captain " for sinking the " Irish Oak " . When " U - 46 " sank the " Luimneach " on the Lisbon run , her commander recorded in his war diary " flying a British or Irish flag " . A supplement to Dönitz ' s order found after " U - 260 " was scuttled off Cork read : " for political reasons , Irish ships and also at times Irish convoys are not to be attacked within the blockade zone if they are seen to be such . However , there is no " special obligation " to determine neutrality in the blockade zone . " . There were many encounters with U - boats , some pleasant , others not so . On 16 March 1942 the " Irish Willow " was stopped by " U - 753 " , which signalled " Send master and ship ' s papers " . As Capt Shanks hailed from Belfast and therefore legally a British subject , this was considered unwise . Chief Officer Harry Cullen and four crew rowed to the U - boat . He said that his ( 39 year old ) captain was too elderly for the boat . He added that it would be Saint Patrick ' s Day in the morning . They were treated to schnapps in the conning tower and given a bottle of cognac to bring back to the " Irish Willow " . Later , the " Irish Willow " performed a dangerous rescue of 47 British sailors from the . On 20 March 1943 , the German U - boat " U - 638 " , commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Oskar Bernbeck stopped the " Irish Elm " . Rough seas prevented the " Elm " s crew from pulling their rowboat alongside the submarine to present their papers , so the interview was conducted by shouting . During the course of the conversation , the " Elm " s Chief Officer Patrick Hennessy gave Dún Laoghaire as his home address . Bernbeck asked if " the strike was still on in Downey ' s " , a pub near Dún Laoghaire harbour . ( The Downey ' s strike started in March 1939 and lasted 14 years . ) Convoys . The Irish and British authorities co - operated in the chartering of ships . They made combined purchases of wheat , maize , sugar , animal feeds and petrol . At the start of the war , Irish ships joined convoys protected by the Royal Navy . The advantages were protection and cheaper insurance . These advantages were not borne out by experience . So they chose to sail alone . The ability to insure ships , cargo , and crew has a significant impact on the profitability of shipping . Insurance of Irish ships during the ' Long Watch ' was problematic . One important aspect of this was that Irish ships usually didn ' t travel in convoy and insurers such as Lloyd ' s of London charged a higher premium to insure ships not in convoy . An example of the insurance problems faced , concerns the crew of the " City of Waterford " . When this ship joined Convoy OG 74 , the lives of the crew were insured . The ship suffered a collision with the Dutch tugboat " Thames " , and sank . The " Waterford " s crew was rescued by HMS " Deptford " and then transferred to the rescue ship " Walmer Castle " . The " Walmer Castle " , in turn , was bombed two days later and five of the " City of Waterford " survivors died . When their families made life insurance claims , they were refused , because at their time of death they were not crew of the " City of Waterford " , but passengers of " Walmer Castle " . Later the Irish government introduced a compensation scheme for seamen lost or injured on Irish ships and Irish Shipping opened its own marine insurance subsidiary , which made a handsome profit . Two Limerick Steamship Company ships , " Lanahrone " and " Clonlara " were part of the " nightmare convoy " OG - 71 . On 19 August 1941 , " Alva " ( Scottish ) was sunk by " U - 559 " , 13 survivors were rescued by " Clonlara " . Two days later " U - 564 " sank " Clonlara " . HMS " Champion " rescued 13 survivors ( 8 from " Clonlara " and 5 from " Alva " ) . Eight merchant ships , two naval escorts and over 400 lives were lost . The convoy retreated to neutral Portugal . This was described as " " a bitter act of surrender could ever come our way " " . In Lisbon " Lanahrone " s crew went on strike , which was resolved with extra life - rafts and pay . The crew of the " Irish Poplar " were waiting in Lisbon ; when the remnants of OG 71 limped in . The crew of the " Irish Poplar " resolved to sail home alone . While the " City of Dublin " brought the " Clonlara " survivors to Cork , " Lanahrone " joined convoy HG 73 . Nine of the 25 ships in that convoy were lost . These experiences and the inability of the Royal Navy to protect merchant ships had a most profound effect on all Irish Ships . Ship - owners , on the advice of their masters , decided not to sail their vessels in British convoys and by the early months of 1942 the practice had ceased . Captain William Henderson of the " Irish Elm " , returning from a transatlantic voyage reported " circled by two German bombers , probably Condors , they circled for a considerable time and inspected closely but didn ' t molest . The incident had given the crew great confidence in the protection afforded by the neutral markings " . Trade routes . British routes . This " cross - channel " trade accounted for most of Ireland ' s trade . The ships ranged , in age , from " Dundalk " built , two years before the start of the war , in 1937 to " Brooklands " built in 1859 . The most important vessels to Ireland were the ten colliers and to Britain the livestock carriers . Initially Germany respected the neutrality of Irish vessels , apologising for the first attack on the collier " Kerry Head " and paying compensation . Losses came from mines , rather than direct attacks . " Meath " suffered such a fate ; while she was being inspected by the British Naval Control Service , she was struck by a magnetic mine , drowning seven hundred cattle , and destroying both vessels . In August 1940 Germany " required " Ireland to cease food exports to Britain . On 17 August 1940 , Germany declared a large area around Britain to be a " scene of warlike operations " . It was believed that attacks on Irish ships and the bombing of Campile was to reinforce that message . Lord Haw - Haw in a broadcast on German , threatened that Dundalk would be bombed if the export of cattle to Britain continued . On 24 July 1941 , George ' s Quay , Dundalk was bombed . Nonetheless , the trade continued . The first attack , after the German ultimatum , was against the schooner " Lock Ryan " , returning to Arklow . She was strafed and bombed by three German aircraft . Fortunately " Lock Ryan " s cargo of china clay absorbed the blast and although badly damaged , she survived . Germany acknowledged the attack but refused to pay compensation for the damage as she was in " the blockaded area " , " through which the Irish had been offered free passage but on terms which were rejected " . There were many attacks on ships on the cross - channel trade . During 1940 , nine Irish ships were lost . That figure may be small compared with Allied losses , but it represents a larger proportion of the small Irish fleet . There were restrictions on reporting attacks on ships . Frank Aiken , the government minister whose responsibilities included censorship , reverted this policy . His intention was to let Germany know that the Irish public know , and " they don ' t like it " . There had been a British proposal for transshipment . William Warnock , the Irish chargé d ' affaires in Berlin told Germany that Ireland was refusing to transship British cargoes , while protesting against the attacks on Irish ships , and other neutral ships with Irish cargoes . Deliberate attacks on cross - channel shipping ceased on 5 November 1941 , when the collier " Glencree " was strafed . There were attacks on other routes . Mines were a constant danger . The Iberian trade . On November 1939 , Roosevelt signed the Fourth Neutrality Act forbidding American ships from entering the " war zone " , which was defined as a line drawn from Spain to Iceland . Cargoes intended for Ireland were shipped to Portugal . It was up to the Irish to fetch them from there . This route , known as the Iberian Trade or the Lisbon run . Setting sail from Ireland , the ships would carry agricultural products to the United Kingdom . There they would discharge their cargo , load up on fuel , pick up a British export ( often coal ) , and carry it to Portugal . In Portugal , usually Lisbon , Irish ships loaded the awaiting American cargo , such as fertilizer or agricultural machinery . Sometimes the cargo was not there : it may have been delayed , or lost at sea due to the war . In this case , the Irish captains would load a " cargo of opportunity " and bring it back to Ireland . This might be wheat or oranges ; on occasions , they even purchased their own cargo of coal . The was fortunate to have a cargo of coal when two unidentified aircraft attacked her with cannon fire . The shells lodged in the coal , rather than piercing her hull . Britain denied involvement , but when the coal was discharged shell fragments of British manufacture were found . The attackers were de Havilland Mosquito s of the Polish squadron of the RAF . The " Cymric " was not so fortunate , she vanished in the same waters without a trace . The Lisbon run was undertaken by small coastal trading vessels , commonly called coasters , which were not designed for deep - sea navigation . Small , and having low freeboard ( frequently around ) these ships were designed never to be out of sight of land , and to be able to make quickly to a harbour when the weather turned foul . The MV " Kerlogue " has become the exemplar of the Irish Mercantile Marine during the Emergency . At only and long , " Kerlogue " was attacked by both sides and rescued both sides . Her rescue of 168 German sailors , given her size , was dramatic . From January 1941 , British authorities required Irish ships to visit a British port and obtain a " navicert " . This visit sometimes proved fatal . It also added up to to the voyage . A ship with a " navicert " was given free passage through allied patrols and fuel , however they would be searched . Irish ships on the " Lisbon run " carried UK exports to Spain and Portugal . Atlantic routes . Some British ships traded between Ireland and Britain . Other destinations were served by Irish and other neutral ships . Philip Noel - Baker ( Churchill ' s Parliamentary Secretary ) was able to tell the British parliament that " no United Kingdom or Allied ship has been lost while carrying a full cargo of goods either to or from Eire on an ocean voyage . " He added " a very high proportion of imports from overseas sources into Eire , and of such exports as are sent overseas from Eire , are already carried in ships on the Eire or on a neutral register . " and " The trade between Great Britain and Eire is of mutual benefit to both countries , and the risks to British seamen which it involves are small . " During the economic depression , the Limerick Steamship Company sold both its ocean - going ships , " Knockfierna " and " Kilcredane " . They were Ireland ' s last ocean - going ships . At the outbreak of hostilities Ireland did not have a ship designed to cross the Atlantic . British ships were not available . American ships would only travel to Portugal . Ireland depended on other neutrals . In 1940 a succession of these ships , from Norway , Greece , Argentina , and Finland , usually carrying wheat to Ireland , were lost . Soon many of these nations were no longer neutral . Ireland had to acquire its own fleet . Irish Shipping was formed . The " Irish Poplar " was Irish Shipping ' s first ship . It was acquired in Spain after it had been abandoned by its crew . Other ships were acquired from Palestine , Panama , Jugoslavia , and Chile . The Irish government minister Frank Aiken negotiated the bareboat chartering of two oil - burning steamships from the United States Maritime Commission ' s reserve fleet . They were both lost to U - boats . The " Irish Oak " was sunk in controversial circumstances by " U - 607 " . All 33 crew of the " Irish Pine " were lost when she was sunk by " U - 608 " . Three ships were from Estonia , They were in Irish ports when Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union . Their crews refused to return to the new Estonian SSR . The ships were sold to Irish Shipping . The SS " Cetvrti " ( Jugoslavia ) was abandoned in Dingle Bay after being strafed on 1 December 1940 . She was salvaged by the " Fort Rannoch " of the Irish Navy ; she was purchased and renamed " Irish Beech " . An Italian ship , " Caterina Gerolimich " had been trapped in Dublin since the outbreak of the war . After the fall of Italian Fascism she was chartered , repaired and renamed " Irish Cedar " . When the war was over , she returned to Naples with a cargo of food , a gift from Ireland to war - ravaged Italy . The was purchased on 17 June 1941 , she was 46 years old , and required extensive repairs . " She was fit for nothing but the scrap yard . " A British yard bid for , and won , the contract to renovate her . This work was completed in November 1943 . Even though the Irish government paid for her purchase and for the repairs she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport and renamed " Empire Don " . She was returned to Irish Shipping in 1945 . The Irish Shipping fleet imported , across the Atlantic : 712 , 000 tons of wheat , 178 , 000 tons of coal , 63 , 000 tons of phosphate ( for fertilizer ) , 24 , 000 tons of tobacco , 19 , 000 tons of newsprint , 10 , 000 tons of timber and 105 , 000 tons of assorted other cargo . Figures from the other shipping companies have not survived . After the war . When the hostilities were over , on 16 May 1945 , Éamon de Valera , in his speech to the nation said : " " To the men of our Mercantile Marine who faced all the perils of the ocean to bring us essential supplies , the nation is profoundly grateful . " " The Ringsend area of Dublin has a long maritime tradition . When housing was being redeveloped in the 1970s , some streets were named after ships which were lost : " Breman Road " , " Breman Grove " , " Cymric Road " , " Isolda Road " , " Pine Road " , " Leukos Road " , " Kyleclare Road " and " Clonlara Road " . The " " An Bonn Seirbhise Eigeandaile " " " " An tSeirbhis Mhuir - Tractala " " or in English : " " Emergency Service Medal " " " " Mercantile Marine Service " " was awarded to all who had served six months , or longer , on an Irish registered ship during the Emergency . On 24 September 2001 , a plinth and plaque , embossed with the Irish tricolour was erected to commemorate those crews lost on neutral Irish registered vessels during the period 1939 - 45 . " a very significant gesture by our British friends towards recognising the debt of honour owed to all shipmates irrespective of nationality who lost their lives during the Second World War . " in the National Memorial Arboretum in England . In Dublin , an annual commemoration , is held on the third Sunday of November . The Cork commemoration is held on the fourth Sunday of November in the former offices of the White Star Line . The Belfast commemoration is held on the second Sunday of May .