This anchor was unveiled on 16th May 1999 by councillor Cathal Boland Cathadirleach, Fingal County Council as a memorial to the 380 souls on the vessel Tayleur which sank off Lambay Island on 21st January 1854.

The above inscription appears on a dedication plaque at the side of the memorial which comprises the vessel's bow anchor. The vessel's kedge anchor forms another memorial at nearby Rush.

Click Here to View the Tayleur Memorial at Rush

The famous White Star Line was established by John Pilkington son of the Pilkington Glass Company's founder Christopher Pilkington in the 1840s. The company originally operated packet sailings to the East Coast of the USA and started using the White Star name in 1849.

With the Australian Gold Rush underway from 1851 the company commenced packet sailings to Australia in 1852. To augment the fleet of four vessels already employed on the Liverpool to Melbourne route, and establish themselves as a leader in the Australian packet trade, White Star chartered the large iron clipper Tayleur, under construction for Liverpool ship owner  Charles A. Moore. 

The Tayleur was the largest iron sailing ship of her day and the largest ship ever to be constructed at Tayleur & Company's Bank Quay yard at Warrington. She cost £34,000 and  weighed 1,900 tons. Tayleur had four decks and as well as passengers could carry 4000 tons of cargo. 

The Tayleur was wrecked whilst on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia. She foundered after striking rocks off the east coast of Lambay Island, north of Dublin Bay  on January 21, 1854 with the loss of 380 persons.

In 1869 the White Star Line was forced into liquidation and the company, house flag and goodwill were purchased by Thomas H. Ismay, father of J. Bruce Ismay. In September that year Thomas Ismay founded the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, to which  the White Star trading name passed.

A detailed account of the Tayleur has recently been published. 

"IRON CLIPPER TAYLEUR - The White Star Line's First Titanic" [ISBN 1902964 00 4] written by H.F. Starkey is available from bookshops on Merseyside and also from the publishers, Avid Publications of Wirral.   [http://www.avidpublications.co.uk] 

This book is an interesting read and is highly recommended. The narrative  examines interesting parallels and coincidences between the loss of the Tayleur and the Titanic some 58 years later.