World Art Utopia

MV Plassy

The rusted orange hull of the MV Plassy sits upright on a bed of gray limestone rocks on Inis Oírr in the Aran Islands, under a deep blue sky.
Artwork FileInis Oírr, Aran Islands, Ireland

MV Plassy

SeenOct 2016

1941; wrecked 1960 · Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Ireland

Photo: Jjm596 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

MV Plassy lies on the rocks of Inis Oírr after grounding at Finnis Rock in March 1960. Island volunteers brought its eleven crew ashore using a breeches buoy; later seas pushed the wreck farther inland. Source Checked

Latest dated evidence checked: Seen Oct 2016. This is not a present-day condition survey. Source Reported

💡 4 things to know

  1. A naval beginningThe maritime museum traces the vessel to HMS Juliet, built in 1941 and later converted for cargo service. Source Reported
  2. A shore-based rescueIslanders used a rocket line and breeches buoy to haul the crew ashore. Source Reported
  3. Moved by the seaHarold Strong's photo record explains that another storm drove the wreck onto the island. Source Reported
  4. Recognisable on screenThe wreck appears in the opening credits of Father Ted. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Ireland Source Checked

Open in Maps

Map search; no clearly framed Street View image was verified.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 1941

    Built as HMS Juliet.

  2. 19608 Mar

    Grounding and rescue off Inis Oírr.

  3. 1962Aug

    Harold Strong photographs the wreck.

  4. 2010May

    Islanders hold a 50th-anniversary rescue commemoration, 28–30 May.

  5. 20161 Oct

    Jjm596 documents the wreck on the rocks.

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Grounding
8 March 1960, Finnis Rock Source Checked
Crew rescued
Eleven Source Checked
Rescue apparatus
Breeches buoy Source Checked
Early photograph
Harold Strong, August 1962 Source Checked
Later photograph
Jjm596, 1 October 2016 Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Photo: Jjm596 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Last checked: 25 October 2026 · How we verify art