Asgard Building, Conservation & Place in Irish History

By Sandra Heise and John Kearon

The yacht Asgard is one of the most iconic sailing vessels in Irish history. From her building in 1905 by Colin Archer, the celebrated Norwegian naval architect, to her pivotal r?le in the 1914 Howth gun-running and her later use as Ireland's first national sail-training vessel, the yacht has had many incarnations. Her story is intertwined with many of the wider historical events that were to influence and shape the course of Irish history in the 20th century. Following a decade of debate, a major conservation programme of Asgard was undertaken at The National Museum, Collins Barracks from 2007 to 2012. An expert team, led by Master Shipwright and Ship Conservator John Kearon, set out to conserve Asgard while retaining the structural integrity of the vessel and preserving as much of the existing original material as possible. Missing components were replicated, with the ultimate aims of the project being to return the vessel to her original form and to display her in a contextualised gallery. The historic yacht went on display in Collins Barracks in August 2012, in the 'Asgard: From Gun-Running to Recent Conservation' exhibition, curated by Sandra Heise. The exhibition and this companion publication surround the yacht with the strands of her story, historical context and her part in various dramas, illustrated by contemporary images and artefacts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0901777978
• ISBN13: 9780901777973
• Release Date: December 2014
• Publisher: National Museum of Ireland
• Length: 63 Pages