barryqwalsh
Gold Member
- Sep 30, 2014
- 3,397
- 251
- 140
The original Jeanie Johnston was bought byTralee, Co. Kerry-based merchants John Donovan & Sons, as a cargo vessel and traded successfully between Tralee and North America for a number of years. The trading pattern was to bring emigrants from Ireland to North America, and then to bring timber back to Europe.
This documentary tells the story of how Jeanie came to be, where she went, and asks where she should go next, through the stories of the people who built her, sailed her, and look after her now.
āAs I started talking to people associated with the Jeanie, I realised that yes, sure, my hypothesis wasnāt wrong, but the love people expressed for the ship, and the story of her voyage, and of how it changed the people who went on it, seemed a lot more compelling,ā says Ruffino.
People like Tom Harding, who was the shipās bosun on the American voyage. āLife in a square-rigged ship is adventurous, itās hard, but itās great fun,ā he says. āAnd the people who do it are a small bit touched, mad, but theyāre addicted to it.ā
Harding is also critical of the way Irelandās relationship to the sea is undervalued. āWeāre an island where the powers that be stand on the cliffs of Moher, looking inland at the bogs.ā
āNow if itās a metaphor,ā says Ruffino, āitās for the way we too easily overlook great things because maybe we perceive them as too parochial, or we define them by surface impressions.ā
Documentary on Newstalk: The Dream of Jeanie
The latest documentary from the Winter Season of Documentary On Newstalk
āThe Dream of Jeanieā will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm this weekend, Saturday 10th January at 7am, and repeated at 10am on Sunday 11th January.
āThe Dream of Jeanieā can also be listened to online at Newstalk A podcast will be available at
Documentary on Newstalk
This documentary tells the story of how Jeanie came to be, where she went, and asks where she should go next, through the stories of the people who built her, sailed her, and look after her now.
āAs I started talking to people associated with the Jeanie, I realised that yes, sure, my hypothesis wasnāt wrong, but the love people expressed for the ship, and the story of her voyage, and of how it changed the people who went on it, seemed a lot more compelling,ā says Ruffino.
People like Tom Harding, who was the shipās bosun on the American voyage. āLife in a square-rigged ship is adventurous, itās hard, but itās great fun,ā he says. āAnd the people who do it are a small bit touched, mad, but theyāre addicted to it.ā
Harding is also critical of the way Irelandās relationship to the sea is undervalued. āWeāre an island where the powers that be stand on the cliffs of Moher, looking inland at the bogs.ā
āNow if itās a metaphor,ā says Ruffino, āitās for the way we too easily overlook great things because maybe we perceive them as too parochial, or we define them by surface impressions.ā
Documentary on Newstalk: The Dream of Jeanie
The latest documentary from the Winter Season of Documentary On Newstalk
āThe Dream of Jeanieā will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm this weekend, Saturday 10th January at 7am, and repeated at 10am on Sunday 11th January.
āThe Dream of Jeanieā can also be listened to online at Newstalk A podcast will be available at
Documentary on Newstalk