ELLY BAY DROWNING TRAGEDY OF 1923
In the quiet and peaceful fishing village of South Mullaghroe on the morning of October 31st 1923,
families, friends and neighbours were numbed as the word reached this tightly knit community of the loss of threeof its best-known and lovedyoung men, Willie Reilly (Tone), Michael Barrett (Annie) and Anthony Ruane (Jamesey). Two of them left grieving widows and bewildered young children. In those days much of the little income in the area depended on the fishing seasonand in the late harvest when the herring was in abundance in Blacksod Bay and particularly so in one of its smaller inlets Elly Bay, one of the bestsheltered also. The men fished from currachs in crews of 2 or 3, laid their nets at dusk the previous night until they returned early next morning. Waiting on shore usually with an ass and creels or a cart maybe would be someone to take the catch into Belmullet to be sold on the street. Some of the fish would be kept and salted in wooden barrels and stored over the winter months to be used as part of the family’s diet. On that morning all the currachs went out as usual at first light to haul in the herring filled nets. The sea was rough and choppy and a south easterly wind, steadily on the increase, made the fisherman’s task even more dangerous. Some currachs had to only have one trip. But there were others who had to go twice depending on the tow of nets or the size of the currach.
Strong Gale
When they got out the second time the sea was much worseand the wind was by now a strong gale. Somehow they got delayed for whatever reasonand eventually the currach got swung around and was immediately swallowed up by the raging sea. Meanwhile all the other currachs had made it safely ashore and fishermen busy cleaning their nets, when Edward Murphy was on his way down the old boreen leading down to the shore to collect the herring catch from his brothers. He left his ass and cart on the road and hastily ran to where all the fishermen were emptying their nets, shouting as he came towards them that some currach had just been lost.
It was only then they realised who hadn’t made it ashore. Three others braved the elements and rowed out to thespot but on reaching there, found no trace of anything. It was at that moment they realised they had just lost three of their comrades. Edward Murphy, who witnessed the currach sinking said afterwards, “It almost stood by its stern before sliding beneath the waves.”
That day was so rough and stormy the search had to becalled off until the next day. By then the wind had eased and the sea was much calmer. All the local fishing boats (sail boats then) and currachs combed the surrounding area as well as extensive searching of
all neighbouring shorelines. The currach was washed up near Bearnagh Point. After frantic searching with weighted hooks and a lot of patience, two of the bodies were picked up -those of Anthony Ruane and Michael Barrett. Several weekslater the body of Willie Reilly was discovered on Sraigh shore by a local man, the late John Donoghue. For some time after a lot of herring was caught in Elly Baybut for several decades now the herring has not been a prime catch in Blacksod Bay anymore. Curiously enough most of the fishing tragedies that occurred around in the past have been linked in some way to herring fishing. i gCaimbne taiór fear a baithu i gCrian eilli fadé
This monument is to the lifes lost, it can be found using the map
