Crossword Genius

Person suggested labourer on Irish ship would treat it roughly (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

manhandle

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'irish ship would treat it roughly' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'person suggested labourer' is the wordplay.
'person' becomes 'man' (man is a kind of person).
'suggested labourer' becomes 'handle' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'man'+'handle'='MANHANDLE'

'on' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for manhandle that I've seen before include "Mistreat" , "Push (someone) about roughly" , "Treat roughly, or move by human effort alone" , "Give rough treatment to" , "Knock around" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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