The Sailor Who Became A Symbol: The Legacy of Thomas McSweeney || 18th November 2025
This lecture delves into the complex relationship between maritime related death, memorialization, and the subsequent emergence of cults in coastal communities. It explores how maritime deaths influence cultural and ritualistic practices through the roles that monuments play in commemorating sailors. Anchored in the 19th-century case study of Thomas McSweeney, an Irish sailor executed and buried in Malta, it highlights how the burial of sailors in foreign lands catalyzes the formation of local traditions and cult practices, emphasizing various socio-religious dynamics. Using a multidisciplinary approach encompassing archaeology, history, and cultural ethnography this research aims to contribute to the broader understanding of maritime culture, collective memory, and the enduring connections between maritime death and community identity.
