Tributes for Domhnall pour in after tragedy off Spanish coast
PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins led tributes to west Kerry writer, poet and seafarer Domhnall Mac Síthigh (66) who died on Friday evening (June 9) after a freak wave capsised the naomhóg he was travelling in off the Iberian Coast.
The incident happened as they were coming ashore at the mouth of the river Minho on the Spanish-Portuguese border. Fellow west Kerry man and musician Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich, Hothouse Flowers’ band member Liam Ó Maonlaí, and boatbuilder Padraig Ó Duinnín were also on board with Mr Mac Síthigh. The crew stayed with the upturned vessel as it drifted to shore but Mr Mac Síthigh took ill after the capsizing.
Emergency services were at the scene quickly but couldn’t revive Mr Mac Síthigh. A number of locals also helped at the scene, providing clothes to help warm the men up. Mr Mac Síthigh’s fellow crewmen were discharged from a Portuguese hospital on Saturday, having not sustained serious injuries. A source close to the crew described the men as “shaken, but safe and sound” after the incident.
The crew were participating in Iomramh an Chamino 2017, a month-long expedition on the ‘Naomh Gobnait’ - between La Coruna, Spain, and Porto, Portugal - which was due to end on June 29.
The expedition was a follow-on from Camino na Sáile, which saw Mr Mac Síthigh and crew travel from Dublin to Santiago de Compastella, Spain over the course of summer voyages between 2014 and 2016. Those journeys were documented by the TG4 series ‘Camino na Sáile’, which aired earlier this year.
Mr Mac Síthigh was an experienced seafarer and completed a number of exceptional journeys by naomhóg during his lifetime, including a circumnavigation of Ireland in 1975 with fellow west Kerry-man Ger Ó Ciobhán, a transatlantic crossing, as well as journeys to Scotland, Iceland and many other destinations.
Mr Mac Síthigh, a retired woodwork teacher, was a fisherman, farmer and boat-builder, as well as an award-winning author and poet. As well as producing a wide array of written work, he also contributed extensively to many initiatives promoting culture, history and the Irish language, as was acknowledged by President Higgins in a statement he released following the weekend’s tragedy.
“He received great acclaim for his ability to enthuse audiences with his commitment to Irish culture and he made a significant contribution to the appreciation of the Irish language, whether written or spoken.”
“He will be remembered not only for his boat building but also the stories of his extraordinary sea journeys, infused with his skill in conveying his experiences and his eye for detail.”
Mr Mac Síthigh is survived by his wife Máire, his son Cormac, his daughters Róisin and Orla, and siblings Siobhán, Áine, Pat, John Joe, and Gearóid.