Dún Laoghaire remembers those lost in the 1918 sinking of the RMS Leinster 

An Cathaoirleach Cllr Barry Saul has unveiled a memorial at the RMS Leinster anchor on the 108th anniversary of the disaster. The memorial lists the names of the 570 people known to have died in the greatest ever loss of life in the Irish Sea.  

The RMS Leinster was torpedoed and sunk soon after leaving Dún Laoghaire (then Kingstown), bound for Holyhead, in the final weeks of the First World War. Those who died came from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England, the Channel Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United States of America and Lithuania. Those who survived lived with the trauma of their experience in the years that followed. 

The project has been supported by the Civic Memorials Committee of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the RMS Leinster Memorial Committee, RMSLeinster.com, the Maritime Institute of Ireland, with funding from the Heritage Council of Ireland and the Department of Culture, Community and Sport. 

An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Cllr Barry Saul said:

"This memorial is the result of many people's efforts over the years to ensure that the tragedy of the RMS Leinster is not forgotten. It is the latest step in a collaboration of remembrance - following on from the recovery of the anchor in 1991, the major events to mark the centenary in 2018, the films, books and digital resources now available and most importantly, the memories of the descendants and relatives of the people who lost their lives on that terrible day." 

Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Frank Curran added:

''This listing of the names of those who died when the RMS Leinster sank joins a number of memorials along Dún Laoghaire's waterfront remembering those who died at sea. These form an important part of the public realm of Dún Laoghaire and ensure that we make space in the modern world to remember the people and events of the past.''