NEWRYABBEY

Fishing Disasters

Early in the morning of the 10th January, 1814, about fifty boats, each carrying six or seven men, had left the Mourne coast for the fishing grounds off the mouth of Carlingford Lough. The day was reasonably good - the sea was calm and the wind light and variable. There had been a few showers during the night and a little snow lay on the ground but there were no indications that there was going to be a sudden change. They reached the fishing grounds just after ten o'clock and after a short time they noticed that bad weather was on the way from the south. They decided to head for home but were overtaken by a heavy snow shower and a strong south-westerly gale.

A report in the Belfast Newsletter of 12th January takes up the story: "On their arrival at the [Annalong] harbour, signals were made to prevent them coming in there. Two only succeeded in landing out of the six who attempted. The rest met a watery grave. The remainder of the boats proceeded along the shore, some filled at sea, some were upset and others dashed to pieces on the shore. Mourne has suffered a loss of twenty seven of its inhabitants, many of whom have left large and helpless families. It would be impossible to describe the distressing scene that was there witnessed - fathers, mothers, wives and sons inquiring and looking most anxiously for the fate of their relations. We understand two wherries (Clontarf hookers) and five boats from Newcastle were fishing off Annalong that day and it is said that thirteen of the latter were drowned." The report then goes on to list the names of the Mourne fishermen who were lost; all the bodies were later found along the shore.

On the day of the tragedy, Lieutenant Francis Chesney, son of Alexander Chesney, was on Slieve Bingian with a gun and a couple of dogs. he had returned to his native Mourne on Christmas leave from his army posting in Guernsey in December 1813. Finding that several members of his family were suffering from typhus, he had to spend much of the time outdoors. Just before noon the weather worsened and he decided to return home. When he reached the bottom of the Grove Road he heard someone shouting, "The boats are a-lossin!" He ran along the shore and just before reaching the harbour he saw a boat overturned in the water with a man near it. He jumped in and with great difficulty succeeded in rescuing Hugh Purdy, son of the owner of the boat. Chesney was so affected by the cold that he took several hours to recover.

On the morning after he had saved the life of Hughey Purdy, Francis Chesney was back at the harbour again. A vessel, the Leda of Lynn, was dragging her anchor and heading for the rocks. Francis, though his father tried to restrain him, waded across the rocks through the surf and with the help one of his father's boatmen, managed to get a line aboard the vessel by which the master and crew were safely brought ashore. A contemporary report noted, "Several Warrenpoint boats were surprised on the coast by the sudden storm. The vessels were upset and the men perished. The loss is not yet accurately ascertained but it is believed that at least forty men have been drowned. Lieutenant Chesney of the Royal Artillery, actuated by a true spirit of benevolence, swam boldly out in the midst of a tremendous sea and nobly saved the lives of some of his perishing fellow creatures at the imminent hazard of his own. A correspondent informs us that five merchant vessels have been wrecked off the Kilkeel coast and that the shore is covered with their ruins

Mourne fishermen lost in the 1814 tragedy
William Moore, John Stevenson, Hugh Wallace. Jun., #
Arthur McCartan, William Kerr, John McDowell,
R. McDonald, William Rodgers, William Montgomery ,
James McDonald, Robert Harrison, R. Gibson,
Nicholas Harrison, P. McCartan, McVeigh,
Thomas McKnight, William Pews, John McVeigh,
Hugh McVeigh, John Akinson, John Gibson,
Daniel Mooney, McCorrigan, Michael Magee,
James Cromwell Sr., T. Cromwell Sr.,

A ballad sheet printed in Newry and entitled The new sorrowful lamentation of the Mourne fishermen drowned on the 10th January 1814, immortalised the event:

Inspire me, Ye genius, to pen these few lines,
Assist me, ye muses, with verses sublime.
Concerning this misfortune that happened of late,
One thousand eight hundred and fourteen the date.

The tenth of January, on that fatal day,
When those jolly fishermen they put out to sea,
But such a misfortune never happened before
Which leaves many mourning along Mourne shore.

Great praise is due to Captain Chesney's son,
In the middle of danger to the quay he did run,
And swam o'er the waves like Leander of old,
And of young Hughey Purdy he quickly took hold.

He saved him from drowning, relief being near,
Wherein different forms grim death doth appear.
And brought him to land with the help of an oar,
Or he'd otherwise never have seen Mourne shore.

Francis Chesney, now twenty five years old, was awarded an Honorary Certificate by the Royal Humane Society for rescuing Hugh Purdy, and the French Shipwreck Society presented him with a medal for the part he played in rescuing the crew of the Leda.

Friday 13th January 1843 saw yet another tragedy, undoubtedly one of the worst ever to take place off the Mourne coast. The morning of that day was unusually fine with only a slight breeze blowing from the south. The few clouds gave no indication, even to the most experienced sailors, that the weather would suddenly change. One bystander, however, had some doubts:

Great praises are due to old William McVeigh,
That morning going out to the men he did say,
This morning reminds me so much of fourteen,
Says he, My brave boys in the bay don't be seen.
They said to each other they couldn't be beat,
There's no waves in the ocean can make us retreat,
Our lines they are strong and our boats they, are stout,
And. for that very reason we will venture out.

Ten boats from Newcastle and six from Lower Mourne set off for the fishing grounds known as the ' Bleachyards' , seven or eight miles out in the channel. On reaching them, the skies darkened and in an incredibly short time the wind quickly veered to the north-west and west. Within minutes a violent gale was blowing and snow clouds appeared in the sky. It was time to run for shelter. A number of the vessels withstood the first shock but several were capsized in the struggle. One of the yawls, with six men, by almost super-human exertions, managed to reach Killough. The men were so exhausted that it took several hours for them to recover. By noon it was snowing heavily; an icy wind tugged at the boats while great waves pounded into them. The men pulled on the oars and hoped that they would soon reach shelter.

Onlookers on shore realised that the fishermen were in considerable danger and a boat was launched at Annalong to go to their assistance. Before it had travelled a hundred yards it was smashed to pieces on the rocks and all hands were lost. Farther along the coast (some say at the Spring Well) another boat was launched and it suffered the same fate. Attempts were made at Glasdrumman, Dunmore and Newcastle to launch rescue boats but again to no avail. Within less than one hour twelve courageous men, going to the assistance of the fishermen had lost their lives.

The beach was crowded to extreme with men of valiant fame,
Who nobly put their boats to sea to top the foaming main,
Intending these poor victims their precious lives to save,
But to their sad misfortune they all met a watery grave.

Before darkness fell the extent of the tragedy was known - forty six men from Newcastle and twenty seven from Mourne had found watery graves. Of the ten boats which had left Newcastle that morning, only three returned.

The Mourne victims who had gone to the aid of the fishermen were Daniel McNeilly, John Doran, John McCrum, Samuel Gordon, Henry Burden, James McKibben, Patrick Savage, John McGrory, Hugh McGrory, Thomas McGrory, John McStay and Bernard McGrory The Mourne fishermen who lost their lives were Daniel McNeilly, Robert McIlveney, Pat McIlveney, Adam Trew, John Skillen, James Hughes, James Morrison, Bernard Doran, John Orr, Hugh Smith, Charles McGrory, Daniel McGrory, John Cunningham, John McCreanor and Hugh Curran.

It would appear from the names that many of these men were from the Glasdrumman and Dunmore areas. Indeed, one of the numerous poems written about the event is entitled The Glasdrumman Fishermen and contains the lines:

George Thompson of Glasdrumman, a man of noble fame,
His conduct good upon that day will honour to him gain.
Just like a skilful mariner, a wharf he did provide,
To save the lives of eight brave men who did at anchor ride.

And James Maginn and Cromwell, I can't half sound their praise,
Just like the bold Leander who topped the foaming wave.
With courage bold undaunted, for two long miles and more,
Took eight men from McGreevy's boat and brought them safe ashore.

And likewise John McGreevy, upon that dismal day,
He ventured twice through sleet and snow upon the stormy sea
It was to save the 'Nancy's' crew, but Morrison is no more,
For brave young Smith and Curran so bold expired on the shore.

The George Thompson referred to in the first line was a member of the family who held most of the land in Glasdrumman. It was stated that the total number left destitute as a result of the disaster was: one hundred and eighteen children, twenty seven widows, fourteen heads of families, three orphans and two aunts.

Newcastle town is one long street entirely stripped of men,
And near to it a village small has lost no less than ten
In Annalong a widow woman three sons from her were torn,
So widows, orphans and sweethearts may now weep in deep mourn.

Immediately following the disaster, a Belfast newspaper launched an appeal on behalf of the dependants of the victims. Local committees were also formed in Newcastle, Annalong and Kilkeel. When the committees met together it was decided that their efforts should be combined and that proceeds from the appeal should be divided two-thirds to the Newcastle committee and one-third to Mourne. Part of the proceeds were used by the Newcastle committee to build the Widows' Row which still stands overlooking the harbour.

Some time after the disaster several boats, believed to be from the ill-fated fleet, were washed up along the coast. One, found smashed to pieces at the south-west corner of Ireland bore the words "Nancy, owner Francis McGreevy." Another bore the word "McClelland" and yet another "Laurel of Newcastle."

Taken from a pamphlet produced in 1843 to raise funds for the bereaved families,

Belonging to Annalong

Names and Remarks

*Alexander Orr, 4 children, poor

*John Doran, 7 children, very poor

*John McCrum, A widowed mother,three brothers and three sisters

*Samuel Gordon, Father and mother and two sisters, poor

*Henry Burden, 1 child, very poor

*Patrick Savage, Father and mother with six children, very poor

*James McKibben, Father and mother, and three sisters, poor

*John McGrory, Widowed mother and widowed sister, two brothers and one sister, poor

*Hugh McGrory, one child, an orphan child about eight years old, poor

*Thomas McGrory, Father and mother, three brothers and one sister

*John McStay, five children, extremely poor, and widow pregnant

*Bernard McGrory, A father, mother and two sisters, very poor

Daniel McNeilly, four children, extremely poor

Robert McIlveney, A widowed mother, two orphan children ,extremely poor

Pat. McIlveney, two children, extremely poor and wife pregnant

Adam Trew, five children, extremely poor and widowed mother

James Hughes, Father and mother very old and one sister, very poor

John Skillen, four children, poor

James Morrison, Father and mother, two sisters ,poor

Bernard Doran, poor

Hugh Curran, & An orphan sister, poor

Hugh Smith, Father and mother,one brother and one sister, poor

Daniel McGrory, An aged aunt and two brothers, poor

Charles McGrory, six children, very poor

John Cunningham, Father and mother, three sisters and one brother

John McCreanor, Father and mother with five young children, poor

John Orr, A widowed mother, three sisters and two brothers, poor

* These 12 men lost their lives in attempting to save the lives of others, and the Boat of John and Hugh McGrory was also lost.