The Custom of the Sea

The story of a shocking and harrowing incident of cannibalism in 1835 aboard Limerick ship, the Francis Spaight, which floundered in the freezing North Atlantic on a return journey to Ireland from Canada. After a number of weeks at sea, starving and without food or water, the captain had a decision to make - whether one or all of the crew would die. He made his choice and lots were drawn as to who would be sacrificed to save their own crewmates. Contains details listeners may find distressing. (2022) Narrated by Andrew Bennett. Produced by Marc McMenamin and Sarah Blake with sound supervision by Peadar Carney. Re-enactments by Diarmuid de Faoite (Captain Gorman), Ian McGlynn (Newspaper Reporter), Wally MacKinnon (John Palmer) and Tim Desmond (Crewman). Contributors include Dr. Matthew Potter (Limerick Museum), Arlene White (Killaloe Ballina Local History Society), Dr Richard Mc Mahon (Mary Immaculate College, Limerick), Prof Rainer Baehre (Cornerbrook University, Newfoundland) and Sharon Slater (Historian in Residence, Ormston House, Limerick and limerickslife.ie).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.