Lord Mayor spearheads Dublin Port ceremony

LORD Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Christy Burke, took part in a ceremony last week to mark the commencement of his role as Honorary Admiral of Dublin Port.

His first official engagement as Admiral was to perform the

‘Casting of the Spear’ ceremony, a Dublin Port tradition dating back over half a millennium.

The

‘Casting of the Spear’ first took place in 1488, when Thomas Mayler – the then Lord Mayor of Dublin – set out on his horse to ride the city’s boundaries.

Historical records show that he rode out onto the strand as far as a man could and from there he cast a spear into the sea.

At that time, casting the spear demonstrated the extent of the city boundaries eastwards.

The ceremony was re-enacted as part of the launch of the South Docks Festival which closed last Friday (July 25).

Chairperson of Dublin Port Company, Lucy McCaffrey, who presented the Lord Mayor with his Admiral’s hat, said:

“I extend a very warm welcome to the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and wish him well in his new role as Admiral of Dublin Port.

“His first official engagement of casting the spear revives one of Dublin Port’s oldest traditions dating back to medieval times, and serves as an important reminder of Dublin’s rich maritime heritage.

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