Moving ceremony remembers torpedoed crew members
A moving ceremony commemorating those who lost their lives when the SS Dundalk was torpedoed close to the Isle of Man during the First World War took place last week over the spot where the ill-fated vessel sank.
Members of the committee set up to commemorate the centenary of the ship’s sinking, which includes relatives of those who lost their lives as well as the survivors, placed floral tributes in the Irish Sea.
The idea for the ceremony came from committee member Marie Agnew who got in touch with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Ferry Company, which had been involved in rescuing some of those aboard the stricken SS Dundalk a hundred years ago.
The group of twenty-three from Dundalk boarded The Manannan last Tuesday and set sail across the Irish Sea to the location where the disaster occurred.
‘Normally the ferry wouldn’t have been able to stop but because it was so calm, it stopped for twenty minutes over the site where the ship sank.’
The Captain of the Manannan, Sean Rooney led the group in prayer and the names of those who lost their lives when the SS Dundalk sank on Ocotber 14th 1918 were recited.
A minute’s silence was then observed before floral tributes were placed at sea.
‘It was an absolutely incredible moment,’ Marie said.
The group then travelled to the Isle of Man where they visited the graves of three soldiers who died on the RMS Leinster, which was torpedoed four days before the SS Dundalk, whose bodies were washed ashore and buried in Douglas.
They also met with the Isle of Man minister for Education Heritage and Culture yesterday, Minister Graham Cregeen, who, as a former RNLI member, gave them a warm welcome, as well as the Speaker of the Manx House of Parliament.
‘ The hospitality we received during our visit was unbelievable,’ added Marie.
Among those who travelled were the grandchildren of Captain Hugh O’Neill, Anne Howard, Kevin O’Neill and Maureen Gill; the granddaughter of Stewart Peter Matthews, Audrey Tuite; and the great grand niece of Stewartess Margaret Creegan, the only woman on board, Aoibheen Byrne.
Marie explained that the committee is anxious to trace relatives of Captain Kelly of the Isle of Man passenger steamer SS Douglas 111 who played a key role in rescuing some of the survivors.
The group’s visit to the Isle of Man and the wreath-laying ceremony attracted a lot of interest, with a crew from the RTE Nationwide programme travelling to record the event.