Tom MacSweeney: The unusual Cork-docked boat heading for a mission in Gaza

I was aboard an unusual vessel during the week at the fisheries dock in Kinsale.

The MV Kate was 50 years old, had been a fishing trawler, was converted to a ‘leisure’ craft, but is now a blockade-breaking vessel bound for an inevitable confrontation with Israeli security forces off Gaza.

With a dark-blue hull and white superstructure, it was painted with slogans supporting Palestine and a sign across the bridge, declaring ‘The World is Watching.’ It left Kinsale on Sunday afternoon.

International lawyer Frank Romano, organising the voyage, has represented Palestinian cases before the International Court of Justice. A member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which is funding the voyage, he has been detained on previous ‘relief’ attempts by sea and deported.

MV Kate began this voyage from Bristol, in England, after a public announcement there of the plan to deliver aid to Gaza. En route, it put into Kinsale, where, Mr Romano told me, he was welcomed by townspeople, who provided food, showers, and support to the crew.

The boat was skippered to Kinsale by Irish sailor Fiacc Ó Brolcháin, who was detained by Israeli forces earlier this year during a previous mission. He will not be going to Gaza this time.

“We got a lovely welcome here, not like what happens with the Israeli forces. I was treated badly previously, as were my colleagues; physically abused, jailed.”

So, why go again? “Because we believe the plight of the Palestinian people deserves to be highlighted and a sea voyage is a way to do that, to see what is happening there.”

The MV Kate is unlikely to land its cargo of relief supplies in Gaza. Previous attempted blockade breaches have all been stopped well away from Gaza, allegedly with violent response from the Israeli Defence Forces.

I had never before been aboard a vessel intended for this type of work. Media reports have highlighted interception of previous sea voyages, but not recounted what happened to the vessels. As a marine journalist, I wanted to know.

Sitting in the saloon, Mr Romano told me that the MV Kate has had a long history in the UK, where it was built in the 1970s. “So it is over 50 years old. We had it converted to a leisure craft just to get authorisation to leave the port.

“This boat is in pretty good shape; expense has been put into her. The Israeli commandos that are likely to intercept us can be very vicious. On the other hand, they are also seamen and they will recognise the value of this boat.

“Previously, in stopping boats, they have destroyed engines, the motors, so that the boats cannot be re-used by activists. Or they tow boats to the port of Ashdod and confiscate them, seeking legal procedures in the Israeli courts to justify confiscating boats, which they do in international waters and that is in violation of international law. I am not sure what they do with boats after that; maybe auction them off, or keep them for their own naval or military use.”

It might seem a pointless exercise, but courageous by those involved, as the MV Kate left Kinsale, with Sicily scheduled the next port of call, before heading from there towards Gaza, a vessel unlikely ever again to be seen in these waters, irrespective of what happens to the crew aboard.

FUNGI IN KERRY, NICK IN CORK AND OTHER SOLITARY DOLPHINS

Bottlenose dolphins in Irish waters — ‘Nick,’ in Cork harbour; ‘Finn’, in Carlingford Lough; ‘Dusty’, in North Clare; ‘Nimmo’, in Galway, and ‘Fungi’, in Dingle for almost four decades until disappearing in October 2020 — were studied by researchers examining their genetics.

They were particularly interested in solitary dolphins developing close interactions with humans.

The international journal Ecology and Evolution has published a report from the research, saying that ‘Fungi’ was an exception, genetically a mix between the Shannon Estuary bottlenose dolphin and the larger offshore population. There has been an unusually high number of solitary dolphins in Irish waters in recent decades, with bottlenoses accounting for most of these. The findings introduce a new dimension to what is known about these popular, familiar maritime animals.

“Why these animals become solitary remains an important unanswered question,” says Dr.Simon Berrow, chief executive of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group who initiated the study.

“Why they seek human company, rather than socialise with other bottlenose dolphins, has long been a mystery. Maybe they do not understand each other, use different vocal dialects, confounding communication, or they just have very different ecologies,” he said.

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