CAPITANES MERCANTES IRLANDESES EN LA EDAD MODERNA: CONECTORES DE PUERTOS, CONECTORES DE GENTES

Merchant ship captains played a very meaningful role in the upsurge of the early modern (trans)atlantic trade. Nevertheless, the long periods spent on board, the uncertain time for stopover, and the itinerancy led them to a way of living depicted by rootlessness and constrained personal relationships. Based on three case studies of Irish shipmasters operating from 18^th century Bilbao port —Moriarty, Malaghlin and Magra—, their professional careers are shown and how they impacted on their social and emotional life, as well as the role they played interlinking people.