Between 1772 and 1804, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland’s yacht, The Dorset, crossed the Irish Sea over 300 times under the command of Captain Sir Alexander Schomberg. On board were a wide range of passengers; from titled aristocrats and military officers to servants, tradesmen, and even caulkers bound for ship repairs. In this compelling study, Paul Martinovich reconstructs the social world of 18th-century Anglo-Irish travel through detailed passenger records, offering a rare glimpse into the rhythms of movement between Dublin and Britain. Rich in detail and grounded in historical context, Passengers on the Dorset captures both the familiar and forgotten figures who shaped this transitory space, revealing much about class, connection, and the lived experience of life between two islands.

AUTHOR
Paul Martinovich is a writer and historian with a deep interest in Georgian naval history and the Napoleonic Wars. He spent over 25 years working as a museum planner in Canada, the United States, and Ireland, where he developed interpretative strategies and wrote and edited content for exhibitions on subjects ranging from ancient mammals to Irish folk life and military history.

Now focused on historical research and writing, he has contributed to the Navy Records Society’s online magazine, the 1805 Club journal The Trafalgar Chronicle, and the More Than Nelson project. He is also the author of The Sea is My Element, a biography of Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm. Passengers on the Dorset, 1772–1804 is his latest work, offering new insights into the rhythms of Anglo-Irish sea travel in the 18th century.