Gareth Huws sat down with Ports, Past and Present and shared the story how he and a friend found first employment in the mess and the galley on one of the Holyhead mail ships. It turns out that sometimes it is a good thing to be in a mess.

Kay Foran sat down with Ports, Past and Present and shared the story of how at 16 years old, she started working in the Odlum's flour silos in Dublin port, although the manager was looking for a boy.