The story of the original “Asgard” began well over a thousand years ago, long before this website existed. The word translates to “Fortress of the Gods” and refers to one of nine worlds in Norse mythology, where Gods maintained their magnificent residences. The ancient equivalent of Beverly Hills.

Our Asgard story begins in 1905. Still, a long while before the printing of this menu. Dr. Hamilton Osgood of Boston had ancestors who came across on the Mayflower. Understandably, he liked boats. He and his wife commissioned a ketch as a wedding gift for their daughter Mary and her husband Erskine Childers. Childers liked boats too, and in fact had made a name for himself years earlier with a sea-faring novel entitled “The Riddle of the Sands.”

The 28-ton, 49-foot ship was designed and built in Norway by famed shipwright Colin Archer, a man credited with building over 200 of the most seaworthy vessels in history. Like Osgood and Childers, it’s safe to say he liked boats.

Upon completion, Erskine and Mary Childers took possession of the Asgard in Boston. It has been suggested that the ship’s name is the Norwegian equivalent of “Osgood” – the folks who paid the tab.

They sailed the Asgard from Boston to London, and took residence there. Though born and educated primarily in England, Childers spent his youth in Ireland. Secretly he supported the Irish independence movement.

As that movement gained momentum, the Ulster Volunteers formed in the north and declared allegiance to England. They acquired arms, setting the stage for conflict.
In the south, the pro-independence Irish Volunteer Army was highly motivated, but poorly equipped. They knew Erskine Childers was sympathetic to their cause. And better yet, that he had a big boat. They asked for help.

On the evening of October 12, 1914, off the coast of Belgium, the Asgard met the German tugboat Gladiator. A small crew labored into the early morning loading over 900 rifles and nearly 30,000 rounds of ammunition aboard the Asgard. To complicate matters a storm was brewing. The boats pitched and listed in the violent waters. A lantern fell, starting a fire, and Ireland’s most historic vessel nearly became a floating fireworks display.

The heavily-laden Asgard headed towards the Irish port of Howth, and directly into the worst coastal storm in 32 years. The trip took 13 days. It was enough to make anyone stop loving boats.
After delivering their cargo to the Irish Volunteers, Erskine and Mary returned to England. Nearly two years later the weapons finally found use in the Easter Rising and set the stage for Irish independence.

In 1922, Childers was asked to return to his childhood home in Ireland for what he believed was a secret meeting. He was betrayed, arrested for possession of a revolver (a gift from Michael Collins), and subsequently executed by the Irish Free Staters. After a brief stint as a training vessel, the Asgard is now on display at the historic Kilmainham Jail, south of Dublin.