Jane Casey

Thank you for having me, Pat.

Yeah, well, do you know what?

I love that you called me historian.

I call myself an armchair historian because I think my fascination is with little details around the city.

It could be an etching in a brick or it could be a facade on a building, an old ghost sign from an old shop.

I love those things.

And then I go digging and that's what I do online on Instagram.

And this is probably the most interesting story I've ever come across, I suppose.

So I don't remember the Oozle Galley Lounge, but I did find out about it in my research.

And there is a plaque, yeah.

So just behind Donut Shop on Central Bank Plaza, there is a little plaque of a 18th century ship carved into the wall.

And I spotted this and I said, what is that about?

There must be something there.

So I went digging and I found the story of the Oozle Galley.

which was a merchant ship, as you said, it was a merchant ship in the late 18th century, or sorry, late 17th century, should I say.

And it was on just a routine trading mission, went up the Liffey.

A hell of a long way.

We have to remember that back then Dublin was a hive, a busy port, you know, as it still is, I suppose.

But if you can imagine all these tall ships lined up along the Liffey, up as far as Temple Bar, you know, really.

So it was a very, very busy port.