History made at the Docks

THE first female captain of an Irish naval ship took charge of her own vessel in a ceremony in Galway on Friday. Lieutenant Commander Roberta O’Brien (31) made history when she took charge of the LE Aisling in a ceremony. The handover took place in Galway because of the vessel’s strong connections with the City of the Tribes, to which it is twinned. Its crew has raised money many times for the local hospital.Local businesses along the dockside flew balloons and messages of goodwill from their office windows to mark the occasion, and those who were aware of the event went to witness a bit of history.The Mayor of Galway, Cllr Pádraig Conneely represented the city but the ceremony itself was low key and homely as Lt Cmdr O’Brien’s own family travelled from Tipperary and Cork to support her on what was a big day for her.Lt Cmdr O’Brien was ...