In Memory

In memory of Air India flight 182 from Montreal bound for Delhi, the plane was 100 miles off the South West coast of Ireland when a bomb on board exploded and the plane plunged into the sea killing all 329 passengers.

Every year at Ahakista there is a memorial anniversary gathering which is attended by Indian and Canadian dignitaries, bereaved relatives of the victims and local people. When my girls were younger and attended the local school they took part in these ceremonies, playing musical instruments, the sound of which carried across the usually still waters of Dunmanus Bay. I found these occasions very poignant, especially as they were held at the precise time that the plane went down.

The memorial is by the Cork sculptor Ken Thompson, whose inspiration was the Wheel of Life, the great sundials of India and the importance of water in the Indian mourning tradition. The inscription on the sundial is "Time flies, suns rise and shadows fall. Let it pass by. Love reigns forever over all" The inscription on the memorial slab, in Hindi, English and French reads "Remember those who died, Air India, June 23 1985".

To blow away the cobwebs after our drive back from Cork Airport Earthdreamer and I walked out to the headland beyond the memorial in the thickening drizzle, the only bit of rain we had all day. Home now for supper, a bottle of wine and a cosy up by the fire.