From the site of the Irish Defence Forces http://www.military.ie/ badges of the present Ships of the Irish Naval Service.
http://www.military.ie/naval/flotilla/p21/emer.gif
L.E. Emer. She was the pricipal wife of Cúchulainn and a daughter of a chieftain from Rush in County Dublin hence the harp of Leinster. The fire denotes Emer which was described as burning with the seven virtues of Womanhood.
http://www.military.ie/naval/flotilla/p22/crest.gif
L.E. Aoife. She was the stepmother of the Lir Children which turned them into Swans. As a punishment for this she was herself turned in to a Raven by the Sorcerer King Bodb Derg. He was her foster father and ruler of the Sidhe of Munster, hence the three Crowns of Munster.
http://www.military.ie/naval/flotilla/p23/crest.gif
L.E. Aisling, was named to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Patrick Pearse. I the upper part the arms of Galway symbolizing Rosmuc in Galway a Pearse retreat. The Flaming Sword or in Gaelic An Claideamh Solais which was the title of a Gaelic League Newspaper associated with Pearse.
Until your post Marcus, I had not idea that Ireland even had a navy.
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ie-naval.html
Off topic….
BRITISH: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South, to avoid a Collision.
IRISH: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North, to avoid a collision.
BRITISH: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.
IRISH: This is the Captain of an Irish navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.
BRITISH: Negative. I say again, You will have to divert your course.
IRISH: THIS IS THE LONG ÉIREANNACH CIARA, THE FASTEST SHIP IN THE IRISH FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY SEVEN SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT IS 15 DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.
BRITISH: We are a lighthouse. Your call.
Michael Swanson;53145 wrote:
BRITISH: We are a lighthouse. Your call.
Odd- I always heard that as an American warship and a Canadian lighthouse.
It seems odd that it would be an Irish ship and a British lighthouse (rather than the other way around)- one would expect that the ship would be that of a nation with a large navy, and thus more likely to expect others to defer to them. I couldn’t see the American/Canadian one reversed- "We are the most powerful submarine in the Canadian Navy!! Um, can we borrow a tube of caulking….?"
(Yes, we have big ships, but the submarines have long been a matter of jest in Canada.)
(Apologies for dragging the thread further off topic. I’ll shut up now.)
I think it’s all a matter of who the teller of this joke is trying make fun of. I’ve seen the Royal Navy one, but I don’t think I’ve run across the US Navy one.
David Pritchard;53136 wrote:
Until your post Marcus, I had not idea that Ireland even had a navy.
Well David, they have but not a very big one. According to Wikipedia the INS have 1 444 personel all ranks and eight offshore patrol vessels plus some smaller training vessels.
I’ve seen it between a US Navy ship and a US Coast Guard lighthouse, so it doesn’t even have to be two countries.
Then there’s this supposedly true exchange, when the first of the US supercarriers, USS Forrestal, was on her first Mediterranean deployment in 1957. As Forrestal passes through the Strait of Gibraltar the flashing light signal is transmitted by the RN Base: "What ship."
Forrestal replies: "What rock!"
http://www.military.ie/naval/flotilla/p52/crest.gif
What’s the story on the dexter? Is this it: http://www.fables.org/winter03/oisin.html
Quote:
What’s the story on the dexter? Is this it: http://www.fables.org/winter03/oisin.html
Yes, I believe so.
I’ve also heard it UK Royal Navy and an Irish lighthouse.
Some other explanations:
L.E. Roisin, named after a daughter of Red Hugh O’Neill Earl of Tyrone. She is though as being the woman in the poem ‘Róisín Dúbh’.
L.E. Orla (ex HMS Swift). Orla was the grand niece of Brian Boru and was murdered by her husband around 1090. The upper half show the arms of Clare and the lower part a royal collar and a sword.
L.E. Ciara (ex HMS Swallow). Ciara was the daughter of a walty christian family which setteled at Nenagh Co. Tipperary in the 7th century. Aged 20 she established a convent near her home. It grew famous and rich and Ciara created a new convent at Durrow, Co. Laois. At this new convent she spent many yeas before returning home where she died AD 685. The upper part displays the Tipperary arms and the lower part a Celtic High Cross denoting the two convents.
