In Memory of those lost at sea

In Memory of those lost at sea or those who died in the service of those
at sea

The Dunmore East Memorial Fund Committee, chaired by former coxswain of the Dunmore East lifeboat, John Walsh, was set up in 1997 to provide a fitting memorial to those who were robbed of their youth and as a tranquil focus for the collective grief of a close-knit community.

John, who has been associated with the lifeboat for thirty years, noted that most of those who had lost their lives were young people - they had, he said, been cheated of their youth and the least they deserved was a fitting memorial.

He was joined by Kathleen Power whose son Niall was lost from the Jena Lisa fishing trawler. Niall?s body was never recovered. Also elected to the committee was Geraldine O?Connell, who lost her father in the dock at Dunmore East while getting aboard a fishing boat. Noreen Power?s broth-er-in-law lost his life in a fire on board the fishing boat Stellymar. The only other man on the original committee was Se·n Kearns, a mechanic on the Dunmore East Lifeboat, who maintains his connection to the present day.

Determined to provide a fitting memorial, the committee were faced with raising £75,000 and that they did with the help of the local community and a host of fundraising events hosted by Dunmore East Golf Club, local businesses and licensed premises who ran activities such as darts competitions.

By the first Saturday in March, 2000, the task had been completed and President Mary McAleese travelled to Dunmore East to perform the official opening of the magnificent memorial granite wall and granite plaque beneath a bronze currach-type boat held hand-high by four men.