From the archives: Drowning tragedy in Clew Bay in 1895 recalled
By Tom Gillespie
ONE of the most tragic boating tragedies that ever occurred in the west of Ireland, only surpassed by the Achill disaster, took place on Friday, November 1, 1895, off one of the islands in Clew Bay, resulting in the loss of five young lives.
On the day in question, five cousins, sons of Joseph and Patrick Kelly of Islandmore, ranging in age from eight to 16 years, put out in a rowing boat from the island to fish in the vicinity.
Unfortunately, their departure was not observed and of their subsequent movements nothing was known until the attention of Joseph Kelly, father of two of the children, was attracted in a startling manner.
About half an hour after the boys had left, he was standing at the top of his own garden, and happened to look seawards. He was shocked to see the boat in which they had gone out to fish floating half filled with water about 100 yards from the shore. Two gunwale and portions of the stern were visible, but there was no sign of the boys.
Becoming alarmed, he ran to his brother, told him what he feared, and in a few minutes the two men, accompanied by Annie Kelly, launched a boat and the first object that met their gaze was the body of the youngest of Patrick Kelly’s boys, floating near the derelict boat.
It was quickly taken into the boat, and in the hope that a spark of life might still be flickering, efforts were made to restore animation, but in vain. The poor lad was beyond the reach of human aid.
It was 10 o’clock that night before the pitiless sea gave up the rest of the dead, and during the long interval, the anguish of the sorrow-stricken parents and relatives of the drowned boys may be better imagined than described.
When the tide had gone out their bodies were found reposing almost side-by-side on the strand, and in the immediate vicinity of where the boat had been sighted. Joseph Kelly’s two boys lay quite close to each other, while there was but a small space separating the bodies of the other two boys. They were then removed to the residence of their parents and the following day an inquest was held.
Mr. P.J. Kelly, county coroner, arrived at the island by boat from Westport Quay at four o’clock on Saturday evening.
He was accompanied by Mr. Hume, D.I. He visited the houses where the deceased lay, and expressed his sympathy with the grief-stricken relatives.
An inquest was held at the house of Mr. Joseph Kelly. The following were sworn on the jury - Messers. Patrick Hopkins (foreman), Anthony Gill, William Jeffers, Daniel Kelly, Dominick Moore, John Grady, Austin Kelly, Christopher Comerford, James Gill and James Jordan.
The coroner, addressing them, said he regretted the melancholy occasion which brought them together - one of the worst tragedies that had occurred in the district for very many years. In one respect, he said it was even worse than the Achill disaster, for, in this instance, one unfortunate family had lost three of its members, while another had lost two.
Before entering into the inquiry as to the cause of death, it would be necessary for the jurors to view the bodies.
Mr. Joseph Kelly, Islandmore, carpenter and farmer, was sworn and examined by Mr. Hume. He appeared to be in a very distressed state of mind. On taking the book, he remarked that this was the first occasion upon which he was sworn.
Asked if he remembered the previous day, he replied: “I do surely, and a poor night I have to remember it.”
Two of the deceased were his sons - Joseph Kelly who was 16 years old last Garland Sunday, and Austin, who was nine years on Palm Sunday. The other three were his nephews - Austin Kelly (Patt), aged about 12; Patrick, aged about 10; and John aged about eight. They were the sons of Patrick Kelly. He had viewed and identified the remains of all the children.
He did not see them leave the shore on the previous day, but about two o’clock, when at the top of his own garden, he saw the boat in which the boys had gone out fishing about an hour previously.
It was Anthony Gill’s old boat, and it was nearly filled with water, but was still floating.
Witness could see the gunwale and a good bit of the stern. She was about 100 yards, or a little over, from the shore. He thought at first that he saw one of the children in the boat, but he did not.
Witness ran as fast as he could to the house of his brother, Patt, and told him to come out quick, as he was afraid the children were gone - that the old boat was sunk.
Patt and he dragged a boat from the south to the north side of the island, and with his daughter Annie they rowed towards the sinking boat. Before they reached it they saw John, the younger of the Patt children, floating away between two waters. Witness picked him up into the boat at once. He thought at first the boy might be alive, as there was some colour in him.
He laid the boy’s breast across the beam to get some water out off him, but found he was quite dead. They did not find the bodies of the other children until the tide went out at 10 o’clock at night, when they got them on the strand, just about where the boat was when he saw her. The four bodies were a little apart. The two sons of witness were pretty close to each other, and the other two were also close. They brought the bodies ashore then.
In reply to the foreman, witness said he rolled the boat over afterwards and found there was a hole in her about nine inches in width.
In reply to coroner, witness said at the time he saw the boat there would have been about eight foot of water in that particular spot. The oldest boy could swim a little.
Coroner: It is a very strange thing that people living in these islands don’t know how to swim.
Witness: Anyway, he would not like to leave the other children.
The coroner, addressing the jury, said he did not think the police could throw any further light upon this unfortunate event. The police were bound to have an inquiry into the cause of every sudden death, and that was the reason why the relatives were troubled with this investigation. No person was present, or saw this terrible catastrophe, and he thought the only verdict they could find was that the children were accidentally drowned.
The following verdict was returned: That the deceased were accidentally drowned in Clew Bay, close to Islandmore, on November 1, 1895. We beg to tender to the parents and friends of the deceased children our deepest sympathy and condolence at their great bereavement.
The funeral took place (by sea) on Sunday where islanders turned out in their boats, accompanying the remains of the drowned boys to the mainland, where the interment took place at Murrisk Abbey.
The spectacle was one of the most pathetic ever witnessed in the west, over which a deep gloom was cast by the tragic occurrence, and where sympathy with the sorely-afflicted parents and relatives, who were respectable people, was universal and sincere.