A Sad but True Prophecy….

A Sad but True Prophecy….

In the 1600’s Brian Rua Ui Cearabhain, from Achill Island, north-west Mayo, in the West of Ireland, foretold that in the county there would one day be seen "Carriages on iron wheels, blowing smoke and fire, which on their first and last journeys would carry corpses". This was well before the age of steam or trains. Unfortunately, nearly 300 years would pass before both parts of his prophecy would come true.

Achill Island is a beautiful island on the West Coast of County Mayo, which sticks out into the Atlantic. It is joined to the mainland by a bridge known as Achill Sound. I have written many times of some of the most wonderful holidays I had there in my youth. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

It was a very poor community and the land was poor quality being very stony and boggy. In order to earn a living many of the island’s young men and women emigrated. Most of the young men joined the British Army. The young women entered service as housemaids throughout Ireland and Britain. Those who did not do so would, during the months of June to October, sail to Scotland where they would gain work as potato pickers. The work was known as ‘tattie-hoking’.

On 4th June 1894, thirty-two young men were making their way in a sailing hooker from Achill to Westport where they were to board a steamer for onward journey to Scotland to take part in the annual potato picking. As they neared the quay in Westport too many of them leaned over the starboard side of the hooker to get a closer look at the waiting ship causing the hooker to capsize. Thirty-two were drowned.

Their bodies were taken home to Achill on the first train to travel on the new Westport to Achill line thereby fulfilling Brian Rua’s first part of his prophecy.

Forty-three years later, on 16th September 1937 at Kirkintilloch, just north of Glasgow in Scotland the second tragedy occurred.

A group of Achill Islanders, men women and boys were almost finished the potato-picking season having travelled all over Scotland following the harvest. It was not uncommon for the single men to be locked in barns or sheds to ‘keep them away from the local girls’.
The ‘gang’ was under the leadership of a foreman named Patrick (Pat) Duggan and by coincidence, the previous year a similar gang’s foreman was a Thomas (Tom) Duggan who also led an Achill Island gang. That year they had played a football match against a local team, which resulted in large-scale fight. It was later suggested, but never proven, that the fire was a case of arson that went beyond that which was intended.

The foreman Pat Duggan, his son and the female members were sleeping in a cottage whilst the other men slept in a cowshed, known as a ‘bothy’, which was padlocked. At about 1am Duggan heard the crackling of flames and raised the alarm. The females made their escape from the cottage. All attempts to gain entry to the bothy failed. The Scottish Overseer who held the keys to the padlock was awoken at 1.15am but by the time he got to the shed it was fully ablaze with the roof collapsed.

Some of the females were relatives of the trapped men and they became hysterical. Later that night the dead bodies were recovered. The average age of the young men was 16, the youngest being 13. News of the tragedy was relayed to Achill by telephone and grief engulfed the island.

Arrangements were made for a funeral in Scotland until a telegram was received there which read ‘Beir Abhaile ar marbh’ – (Bring home our dead). Over 10,000 people lined the Quay at Glasgow as the coffins were put aboard a Dublin bound ship. Again at the Dublin port there were over 6,000 people lining the quay.

A Relief Fund was set up which resulted in the sum of £18,233 being collected. This was divided between the survivors and the victims’ families. (In modern terms this would be equivalent to almost one million Euro).

They were taken by train to Westport where they were transferred to the Achill Island train and taken home. The line had in fact been closed for some time but was reopened to convey the bodies of the victims to the island where they were laid to rest close to the victims of the previous tragedy. That was the last train on that line thereby fulfilling Brian Rua’s prophecy to the full…………..

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