YOUR RESPONSES

Brenda Reeves - July '08
I now wonder if James Curran was also my relative...my grandfather was Robert Curran and he had brothers Henry and Barney?

Niall Hamill - Dundalk - June '08
Hello. I am replying to your article as posted. I was wondering is the stained glass window in St Patrick's Dundalk the same window erected for those who lost their lives onboard the SS Dundalk in 1924 - as I have original receipt for window dated 1924?

Sean Quinn - Feb '07
Reading the article it appears that the emigrant ship Connemara was sailing form Greenore and not Newry. It was confusing to read the Newry Democrat report of the recent commemorative event in Nov 2006 in which the story of John Henry Tomelty recounts that Tomelty had missed the "departure of the SS Retriever from the Albert Basin in Newry but, rather than risk the loss of a steady job, he cycled three miles to catch up with the vessel." The BBC article says that the Retriever was homecoming i.e. towards Newry when she colided with the Connemara. Which is correct?

My interst in this is due to my wife being a neice of Mary Angela McArdle (from Mulladuff, Cullyhanna, Co. Armagh NOT Mulladuff, Co. Monaghan) who drowned that night and is mentioned in the artcicle.

Thanks for all this information.

Sean Patterson - Oct '06
The Retriever was showing sidelights, but probably no masthead light as this had to be raised manually to the top of theforemast and due to the conditions this may have been impractical. Any further information on the tragedy would be appreciated as I wish to update the article I wrote on this website. I am delivering a talk on the tragedy in Newry Arts Centre on Friday 3/11/06 at 8.00 p.m.

Padraic Agnew (Dundalk) - July '06
As divers from dundalk, we visited the wreck of the Connemara today 17/07/06, some of us for the first time. Its very broken up, and a lot is buried in the sand. Reading the information and looking at the picture of the boat, brings its home to us the scale of the tragedy for so many families across the north east and further afield.

Mary Larkin - July '06
For any information on the Connemara/ Retriever Collision on Carlingford Lough please contact Brian Larkin, Greenore County Louth ( 00353-429373402, 00353-872620174) OR Mary Larkin,
Greenore County Louth ( 00353-429373201, 00353-871267727)

John Koolman - October 2004
The book by DSM Barrie on the Dundalk, Newry, and Greenore Railway refers to this disaster, but states that the the inquiry afterwards held that the Retriever was coming into the Lough WITHOUT LIGHTS. They were unlit because no one was able to go on deck to relight them when they were extinguished by mountainous seas. Which version is correct?

M Thomas - October 2004
I am from Holyhead, I never met my grandfather. All I was told about him was that he, previous to joining the crew of the Connemara, was a member of the Cheshire regiment and served all his military life in India. On return he married my grandmother and set up home in Holyhead. He started work on the Connemara as a stoker. On that fateful day he had the day off but he was called out because one of the crew went sick, and so he lost his life. Leaving a wife and family to fend for themselves, as there was no social services at that time. His name is on the local cenotaph. I know nothing else about him. I should think he, being a stoker, would still be in the ship. I don't know if his body was found or not. By the way his name was William Williams