1916 and the battle of the airwaves

Published in Issue 3 (May/June 2017), Letters, Volume 25

Sir,—With reference to the above-named piece by Eddie Bohan, the Helga could not have fired on the wireless school in Sackville Street or adjoining buildings. A couple of completely undamaged blocks between the Helga’s position opposite the Custom House and Sackville Street testify to this. The proposal presumably goes with the often-repeated statement that she ‘lobbed’ shells over the loop-line railway viaduct to hit Liberty Hall, the only target mentioned in her log book for this phase of her time in the Liffey. A naval twelve-pounder gun can’t ‘lob’ shells to hit targets at close range; it can only hit such targets by direct fire. Hence most of the damage to Liberty Hall was confined to the northern part of the building and the adjoining ‘innocent’ building, as the arc of fire was restricted, under the viaduct, by the pillar of the viaduct and a Guinness ship moored at the Custom House quay.—Yours etc.,

DAIRE BRUNICARDI

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