Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
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Published: Irish Times, August 20 2011The Trawlerman
IT’S 3.45AM AND not a soul is stirring in Kinsale. As our jeep crunches to a halt on the roadside, the headlights reveal a lone heron wading in the tide below. Shane Murphy bounds down the gangway and boards Aurora Borealis, a 35ft inshore trawler he has skippered for six years.
He flicks a light switch in the wheelhouse and fires up the diesel engine. Mike McCarthy, his crewman, busies himself with the moorings. Our passage out of Kinsale this morning will be with the help of a baffling array of technologies: Decca plotter, echo sounder, radar, Sodena plotter, autopilot, GPS and compass.
“I might also look out of the window occasionally,” adds the skipper, deadpan. Read the rest of this article here.
October 22nd, 2017.
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:17 am
Really excellent….
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:51 am
Great piece. Ensign Dubheasa Ní Cionnach looks tasty.
August 22nd, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Thanks lads. Re: Dubheasa. She was definitely the best looking person on that boat, I’ll say that.
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Video was a nice wee addition.
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:53 pm
That navy lady is seriously fit. Check out her facebook [edit: Jesus, I’m going to stop you right there, Sean – E.B.]
August 22nd, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Really nice piece man. Liked the way you tied in Arthur McBride throughout. Out of curiosity, did you decide to bring that in when you were writing on the boat? Or afterwards?
August 22nd, 2011 at 4:29 pm
On the boat. It’s one of my favourite songs in the world and one that (along with The Lakes of Pontchartrain) I am sometimes prevailed upon to sing at Christmas.
The similarity between what he does and what a freelance journalist does was the first thing that occurred to me. (I assumed the Irish Times would edit that bit out, but they didn’t.)
That was summed up in the “although we may be single and free” verse. Then working backwards, I realised the lyrics of the song chimed with the story in lots of other ways.
I actually considered singing the “although we may be single and free” verse out loud along with him as we were heading home, in order that I could (honestly) write that I had done so. But I would have looked like a total spa.
August 22nd, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Since your answering questions Mr Butler. About the woman whose name I’m not going to try to spell. Are those your hands writing in the notebook in the video? and if so did you say “Alright sweetheart” as she’s getting off the boat??
August 22nd, 2011 at 8:49 pm
@ Sarah – No clue what I said, but I’m sure it wasn’t “alright sweetheart”.
August 22nd, 2011 at 10:05 pm
Okay I’ve listened again (yes I have no life) and now I think what you said was “Alright see-ye lads.” Which is not much better. I’m sure the glamorous Ensign Dubheasa Ní Cionnach doesn’t like being called a “lad”.
August 22nd, 2011 at 11:17 pm
If you listen to it backwards, I also have nice things to say about my bud Satan.
August 24th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Lovely piece Eoin, really well written.
August 26th, 2011 at 11:01 am
Amazing story dude.
December 22nd, 2011 at 12:05 am
[…] Comments are here. Photo by Michael MacSweeney. […]
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