#MAREMonday 49

On 07.09.2026 we present the 49th session of our online lecture series with a contribution of

Brenna Thornley
(L-Università ta‘ Malta)

Maritime Memorialization: Death at Sea & the Influence on Coastal Cults

This lecture delves into the complex relationship between maritime related death, memorialization, and the subsequent emergence of ritualistic practices in coastal communities. By defining aspects of monuments that indicate a maritime connection, it explores the roles monuments play in commemorating sailors and how meaning within legacy shifts throughout time. Anchored in the 19th-century case study of Thomas McSweeney, an Irish sailor executed and buried in Malta, the lecture examines how his legacy and monument have influenced an otherwise disconnected community, transforming his story from a maritime tragedy to a legacy that reaches into the most intimate aspects of human life and continuity. It highlights how the burial of sailors in foreign lands can catalyze the formation of local traditions and cultic practices.

Drawing on archaeological evidence, historical documentation, and ethnographic inquiries, this research investigates the processes through which maritime deaths become embedded within local systems of belief and remembrance. Particular attention is given to the ways in which communities reinterpret monuments over generations, assigning new meanings and functions that may reassign significance from their original commemorative purpose. By examining the intersection of maritime mobility, death, and community identity, this lecture contributes to broader discussions of memorialization, maritime cultural heritage, and ritual practice. In doing so, it demonstrates how maritime monuments can become focal points in the social and spiritual beliefs of coastal communities long after the events they commemorate have passed from living memory.

To join the lecture: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85622764363?pwd=1eSCQsHHOA520wx3FiNK6L3RDDiOdY.1

(Meeting ID: 856 2276 4363 / Passcode: 253428)