School: Baile Mac Rabhartaigh (roll number 3978)

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1. A Wreck

   

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   History of the drowning of the Timoneys, together with two girls and a servant boy on May 21-1849 off Keelkey point in Donegal Bay Co. Donegal).

   Four young brothers the name of Timoneys who lived in the house now occupied by Charles Langan Drumlongfield together with a servant boy belonging to a neighbour left their homes on Monday May 21st – 1849 for the purpose of going to the North rock or the waste rock situated off Rossnowlagh in Donegal Bay to cut seaweed. When they reached the bar of Bunlin where their boat was beached, they found that a bank of sand had accumulated between it and the Barr stream. So they took another boat belonging to a man named Gillespie of Inisfad, which they got afloat easily. This boat had not been in use for some time before and was a little gaisoned [?] and leaky from the effect of drying. They had previously made arrangements with the two girls one named Mc Garrigle of Foyagh and the other named Madden of Birrah, to take them out to the rocks to gather “dulse”. When the boat was ready to leave the girls had not arrived so a coat was hoisted on the blade of an oar as a signal.

   The girls who were on their way saw it and were seen run[ing?] down Birrah strand and boarded the boat at the sand gap. A third woman Mrs. Carron of Foyagh turned back on Birrah strand. Her husband called to her not to go as some man had come to help them with the work.

   Everything appears to have went all right until the homeward journey. But as the boat advanced shore-wards

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   John Mangan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   48

   Address

   Birra, Co. Donegal