An image of the ‘Irish Plane’ docked at Cape Town in South Africa. The ‘Irish Plane’ was built in 1949 by William Gray & Company in Hartlepool, England, for Irish Shipping Limited. This state-owned company was established in 1941, soon after the outbreak of the Second World War with the object of providing the ships necessary to supply Ireland’s import needs. The 'Irish Plane' served only a short number of years with the Irish Shipping company. It was sold to a Pakistani shipping firm in January 1960 and was eventually scrapped in Karachi in 1971
A view of the exterior of St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa. Consecrated in April 1851, it is the oldest Catholic cathedral in the country. The photograph probably shows a religious ceremony celebrating the centenary of the cathedral's foundation.
A view of the exterior of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in George, Western Cape, South Africa. Completed in about 1843, it is the oldest Catholic church in South Africa. A manuscript annotation reads '‘The oldest Church in use in South Africa’.
A group of Irish Capuchin friars at St. Mary of the Angels Church, Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa. Fr. Jarlath Gough OFM Cap. is the present in the photograph (seated, first on the right).
A view of a replica Irish Round Tower located in the Philippi area of the Flats region near Cape Town in South Africa. The tower (formally known as St. Patrick’s Shrine) was built on the slopes of Table Mountain which overlooks the city of Cape Town. The tower was constructed by Fr. James Kelly, an Irish Catholic missionary. The tower was a noted landmark in the Cape Flats district and acted as a focal point for annual St. Patrick’s Day’s festivities for Cape Town’s Irish community with the spire bedecked with national colours. The tower was demolished in 1978.
