In 1974, the MV Irish Trader left the port of Sharpness in the Bristol Channel, bound for Drogheda carrying a cargo of 410 tonnes of fertilizer, but she ran aground on the soft sands of Baltray Beach, County Louth. Why the boat floundered so near to port is unknown to this day, but now, almost 40 years later, there is very little left of her.
The constant battering of the sea, which returns twice a day, is taking her apart piece by piece… A group of Offshoot photographers went to Baltray on the evening of Saturday 29th June, hoping to avail of nice evening light which would bring the colour and detail of this impressive wreck to life. The weather was kind, and a very enjoyable evening was had by all.