School: Irishtown

Location:
Milltown, Co. Westmeath
Teacher:
Margaret McNally
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0742, Page 106

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0742, Page 106

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  3. XML “Local Happenings - Drowning”

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  1. Lough Iron is a lake about 3 miles from our school. The river Inny runs into it from Lough Derravaragh. It is about 4 miles long and three miles wide and has an artificial island made by Lord Sunderland. The people of the locality fish there and bathe in the Summer time, and many of them have boats in which they row up the Inny and across to Ballinalack.
    About fifty years ago a party of men women and children rowed on a Sunday to Ballinalack. The men besported themselves and took too much drink. On the way back an argument arose over some dispute between two of the men. They got angry and one of the men stood up in the boat and jumped at the other to strike him. The boat over balanced and threw the whole party into the lake. One of the men took hold of a girl 10 years his daughter and a younger child. He reached the shore with the elder girl but the other was drowned and two other men and a woman. Strange to say the girl saved was killed going home from school a short time after. She was sitting on an ass's cart when it overturned and the wheel passed over her neck, killing her instantly. Patrick Halligan, Ballynacargy told me this story.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. hardship (~1,565)
        1. drowning (~292)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Donal Fox
    Gender
    Male
    Informant
    Patrick Halligan
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Ballynacarrigy, Co. Westmeath