Gillian Brownson - Mary's Monologue by Ports, Past and Present

The tragic torpedo attack of RMS Leinster on the 10th October, 1918, is recorded as the biggest loss of life in the Irish Sea. Out of 680 souls, 501 souls lost their lives (with 66 more discovered since the official record was submitted.) Many of the crew were made up of residents from Holyhead, including Captain Birch himself, who had moved his family to the town as a base from which sail. Compared to their male colleagues though, there were very few female crew members. Tragically, the Holyhead stewardesses onboard, Louisa Parry and Hannah Owen, did not survive the attack, but their Irish chief stewardess, Mary Coffey, ensured she told their heroic story, as they lost their lives in an attempt to save other women and children onboard.

Ports, Past and Present is a project led by University College Cork in partnership with Aberystwyth University, the University of Wales Trinity St David and Wexford County Council examining the cultural heritage of the ports in the Irish sea basin. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation programme.