Maritime exhibition a fitting acknowledgment

AS a former seaman who has sailed around the world, I am putting a proposal to the Hunt Museum for an exhibition on the maritime history of Limerick.

The building that houses the Hunt Museum was once the shipping office in Limerick, where seafarers signed on to ships to travel the world.

The shipping office was in the former Custom House, which is now the Hunt Museum, and I feel this link with Limerick's maritime past should be marked by an exhibition on the site.

At one time Limerick was an important link in the shipping trade, with Limerick Steamship Company vessels ferrying cargo from many foreign ports.

The role played by Limerick seafarers is largely an untold story of the city's maritime history. In the past 25 years the port has declined and the tradition of going to sea is dying out.

Now is the time to appeal to Limerick's seamen to donate maritime items such as log books, union cards, shipping agreements and personal artefacts for a collection on the maritime history of Limerick.

Joe Lynch

16 Beechgrove Avenue

Ballinacurra

Weston

Limerick