Dún Aengus banquet in 1857 (Part one)

When the world came to Árainn in Sep. 1857

Two of the most famous days in the history of Irish antiquity occurred on the Aran Islands in early September 1857. They marked the first stage in bringing to the attention of the world, the vast amount of archeological sites that needed to be cherished and protected and which were in grave danger of being lost forever. Not only on the Aran Islands but all over Ireland.

The British Association meeting was a great boost to the Dublin economy.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in 1831. It’s known today as the British Science Association (B.S.A.) In early days it was often just referred to as the British Association.

For the first time since 1835, the Association was having its great annual get together in Ireland and plans were put in place to make it a memorable occasion. 

The Association divided into seven sections and the new buildings at Trinity College Dublin, hosted many of the events and lectures.

Section A.......Mathematics and Physical Sciences

Section B.....Chemical Science

Section C......Geology

Section D....Zoology & Botany including Phycology

Section E.....Geography and Ethnology. 

Section F... Competitive examinations. 

Section E would be the group which would eventually send about 70 members, to the Aran Islands on a voyage of fun and discovery.

While planning for the big meeting, a field trip to the Boyne Valley was first suggested but at a meeting in the Provos of T.C.Ds room, Dr William Wilde convinced the others that Aran was the place that would most impress all the overseas dignitaries.

Sir William Wilde. As colourful and scandalous a genius as his famous son, Oscar.
Also Dr William Stokes who would go on to write the biography of his friend and mentor, George Petrie.

As is often the case, a group of important and wealthy people, can find it very easy to get different businesses and organisations to sponsor the costs and the Midlands and Great Western Railways laid on special trains, all free of charge. 

A problem arose when the Admiralty declined to provide transport from Galway to Aran but this was sorted when the Board of Trinity House, which looked after the lighthouses around the U.K coast, postponed their inspections so that their magnificent steam yacht Vestal, could be used.

Previous to the generous Trinity House offer of the Vestal, it had been hoped that the Screw Steamer Tubal Cain, which worked between Galway/Westport and Liverpool could be chartered, but this proved impossible.

A painting of the Steam Yacht Vestal. ( Many thanks to  Neil Jones of Trinity House)

On the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September 1857, the signalman waved his flag and blew his whistle and over 200 excited explorers felt their steam train pull out of Broadstone Railway station in Dublin. Two 1st and two 2nd class carriages set off for the journey across Ireland on a railway which had only been extended to Galway in 1851.

The Station where the Dublin to Galway travellers, started their journey. Opened in 1847. Headquarters of the Midland Great Western Railway company.

The day brightened up after a cloudy start and the passengers noted people harvesting oats and barley. There was discussion also among the passengers as to whether the withered potato stalks they saw, was normal or a sign of blight. This was exactly ten years after the horrendous year of “Black 47” the worst year of the Gorta Mór.

Four hours after leaving Dublin, as the train was pulling in to Galway, the passengers were delighted to see the magnificent Steam Yacht Vestal, lying inside the gates of the dock and with a head of steam up for their Aran adventure. Today this view would not be possible due to later Dockland developments.

Railway extended to Galway in 1851.

The visitors had a cold lunch in Kilroys hotel on Eyre Square (Now The Imperial). William Makepeace Thackeray had stayed here in 1842 and hadn’t been greatly impressed. Today, it’s a favourite spot for many islanders.

Academics, doctors, lawyers and judges were at a distinct disadvantage at a buffet meal, when competing with members of the press. Like most good journalists, our correspondent managed to get to the table early and secure the better part of the food and drink on offer.
His few words on the meal are worth recording again.

There is something agreeably democratic in the hasty and good-humoured repast picked at such a table-it is consoling to get a piece of the breast and a small part of the leg of a plump fowl, and see a learned Professor vainly exploring the regions of gastronomic science for a wing, or some venerable antiquarian pondering over the fossil remains of a chicken or the ruins of a tough hen.

 Later, the party broke up into different groups with some heading off to explore Lough Corrib and Joyce country while others headed for Connemara or the Cliffs of Moher.

At 1 P.M. the remaining 70 or so headed for the docks where the Vestal was waiting just inside the dock gate, and with a head of steam up for the days journey. It was reported that they managed to take in a few Galway sights, on their way to the docks. This group placed themselves under the guidance of Dr William Wilde, father to Oscar, and were described as the Ethnological section.

Many had been disappointed with failing to get a ticket for the Aran adventure as numbers for the two night and three day trip were naturally limited. The only cost incurred by the Aran travellers was £1-10s and this was to provide for almost three days provisions. Sounds like great value and so it was, as the Miss Digbys, who owned the three islands, insisted on meeting all the costs incurred on their islands.

We have often wondered how many islanders were “requested” to “volunteer” their services and labour by the Land agent Thompson, who featured greatly in the words of praise later. Thompson has been implicated in demanding free labour from the islanders, on more than one occasion.

From reading accounts of the visit, we suspect that the visitors were given to understand that The Miss Digbys and Thomson were generously recompensing the Islanders for their services. “Feicfidh mé arís thú” comes to mind and the thanks may have been in the form of less persecution.

But back to the expedition. The list of very important people who travelled to Aran that day is extensive and included people to whom a great debt of gratitude is due for their efforts to investigate and record so much information, before it was lost forever. We intend to list as many as we can, at a later stage.

Perhaps the most famous, of the distinguished visitors, were George Petrie (1790-1866) from Dublin, John O’Donovan (1806-1861) from  Kilkenny and his good friend, Clareman, Eugene O’Curry (1794-1862).

John and Eugene were married to the Broughan sisters of Limerick. Along with the recently dead Mayoman, James Hardiman (1782-1855) these four men and a few others were the Tim Robinson or Séamus Ennis of their time.

Dropping anchor in Cill Éinne bay at just before 4 p.m. the ships boats were lowered with the intention to land the passengers near the old Cromwellian fort, Caisleáin Aircín, in Cill Éinne.

The village of Cill Éinne today, showing Arkin Castle, Round Tower stump and Teampaill Bheanáin on the hill.

Immediately, a number of currachs made their way to the Vestal and some remained exploring the great ship, while the passengers were being rowed ashore. This inspection of the ship reminds us of a grand uncle of ours and his explanation as to why he had taken his mother and sister, in his pony and trap, to a famous holy well in East Galway around the 1890s.

He replied “One for Devotion (his mother) One for Diversion (his sister) and One for the Gapeseed (himself)” Now “Gapeseed” means a good look around which is exactly what the Cill Éinne men wanted.

The Vestal arrived in Aran on the evening of Sep 3rd 1857. Anchored in Cill Éinne Bay for the night. Some slept on board.

It was reported that one visitor bough a dozen lobsters from the Cill Éinne men for four shillings and gave them to the ships cook to prepare.

Having been given  a Tour of the Vestal by Captain Evans, the currach crews started back the almost one mile journey to Cill Éinne. The passengers in the ships rowboats and a boat of the local Coast Guard, had by now covered over half of the distance to shore.

It was with great enjoyment that the last few visitors, who had remained on board, felt their currachs skipping over the waves and in no time, race past the other excursionists with a cheer, as the men of Cill Éinne showed off the speed and versatility of both the native boats and themselves.

The first stop after landing was at the old historic ruins of Arkin Castle which had been built by Cromwell’s soldiers from the stones they plundered from the holy settlement of Naomh Éanna.(St Enda) and the deserted 15th century Franciscan monastery.

The seventeen year old Wakeman had accompanied the great John O’Donovan to Aran in June 1839.
Wakeman and O’Donovan had stayed in Taylor’s Hill with the famous Historian, James Hardiman

Led by Dr Wilde and controlled by his ever present whistle, the group moved on to inspect what was left of the Round Tower of Cill Éinne. Petrie had reported this tower as being much higher when he visited in 1821. A local had claimed that it stood over 80 feet tall, many years previously. This seems to suggest, that the tower may have been knocked during Oiche na Gaoithe Móire in 1839

Local lore however has held that it had been destroyed by a lightening bolt and that the upper stories had before that been used in building Arkin castle. If it came down on the night of the Big Wind in 1839, it’s surprising that the Parish Priest, Michael Gibbons, didn’t mention it in his report of island damage. The bolt of lightening seems a more likely explanation but perhaps some day we’ll find out for sure.

The stump of a the Round Tower of Cill Éinne, which once stood over 80ft tall.

Heavenly interventions in Cill Éinne are nothing new and it was reported that the deep, narrow channel into Cill Éinne harbour was created in 488 AD, to help Naomh Éanna and his monks. It is said that an angel from heaven cut through the rock with a flaming dagger.

At the time, the world’s greatest authority on Irish Round Towers was George Petrie and he undoubtedly gave the group a valuable talk on their origins.

Petrie had achieved heroic status in Ireland for his study of Round Towers. He had demolished the view put forward by others, who claimed that they had been built by the Danes, the native Irish being incapable of such fine feats of engineering.

It should be remembered that while a section of the old Protestant Anglo Irish society embraced the concept of being Irish, others took a very different view. Petrie had challenged and overturned the Round Tower ideas of an English military surveyor, General Charles Vallency (1731-1812). While some had credited them to to Vikings, Vallency had gone overboard completely and suggested they might even be pre Celtic and built by the Phoenicians.

In 1857 every villager in Cill Éinne must have had at least one relation drowned just a few years earlier when a huge wave washed fifteen islanders to their death as they fished from the rocks one August morning in 1852.

Most of those men and boys who drowned were from Cill Éinne with a number also from the neighbouring village of Iaráirne.

The exotic visitors were probably a welcome distraction in those terrible times. 

It seems the Irish antiquarians took great delight in educating the visiting dignitaries from England, Scotland and France, who in turn were overwhelmed with all they were seeing and hearing.

Three of the many great great sights to be seen in Cill Éinne..

On reaching Teampall Bhenáin, the visitors had a magnificent panoramic view which covered parts of the three islands, the Connemara mountains and coast, Galway Bay, the Burren and West coast of Clare and even the western tip of Kerry.

They could also view the magnificent Steam Yacht Vestal, which had brought them all safely from Galway as it lay at anchor in Cill Éinne bay.  The Vestal would the next day land them at An Gleanacáin in order to inspect Na Seacht dTeampaill.

Showing great stamina, most of the group now hiked over very rough ground to the cliffs and the great fort of Dún Duchathair (Black Fort), one of our favourite spots on the island. Today, this would involve crossing many stone walls, but we suspect that in 1857, gaps had been knocked by the locals in order to help their progress.

Even if he was from Cork, asking the elderly 29th Provost of Trinity College, Rev Dr Richard MacDonnell (1787-1867) to throw a leg over the stone walls of Árainn, would be considered unthinkable then, as indeed it would be today.

A landscape that might be no bother to an Islander but present great difficulties for a visitor.

The fort as the visitors would have seen it as they approached from Cill Éinne

Dún Ducathair (Black Fort)

Perched on a remote cliff, Dún Duchathair is well worth a visit. A bit smaller today than it was in 1857.

The crags of Aran are not the only connection between Dr MacDonnell and "Rock". He it was who picked out what he deemed to be the best site in Ireland on which to build his new home. Because the view reminded him of the Bay of Naples in Italy, he named it "Sorrento Cottage" a house that would in later years become the home of an Irish Rock legend, David Evans, better known as U2s, The Edge.

Dún Duchathair as viewed from the West.

At Dún Duchathair, John O'Donovan expressed the view that this fort was a thousand years older than the more famous fort at Dún Aengus. Either way, both forts are impressive with the Black Fort's remoteness making it a little more special for some.

From here the group made their way to Cill Rónáin where dinner was had on the deck of  the Vestal. Having only limited accommodation on board, most of the party came ashore and spent the night in Costello's nearby Atlantic Hotel (Aran Sweater Mart), the Coast Guard station (not the present one) and in some of the local houses. At bedtime, a glass of punch was provided for all and the whiskey in Costello’s was deemed “not bad” by men who were used to fine liquor.

Given that the group consisted of people from different religious backgrounds, we can assume that dinner conversation kept well away from theology and even the mention of “soup”, deemed inappropriate.

Operating today as the Aran Sweater Market.

According to the reports, the travelers were more than happy with the sleeping arrangements. The Railway Hotel in Galway, which had opened only five years previously, had provided a generous amount of bedding for both those on the boat and anybody else who required it. This again was all provided free of charge.

The Railway hotel had opened at the very same time, in August 1852, as fifteen young men and boys were lost after being swept by a giant wave, off Aill na nGlasóg, at the Eastern end of the Island.

The next day would see many more adventures, culminating in a great banquet inside the walls at Dún Aengus.
We will return to this in part two which can be read Here



Michael Muldoon, February  2020

A midsummers day out on the Aran Islands in 1926

Archeology expedition to Árainn in June 1926

For well over 150 years, the promise of an excursion to the Aran Islands was a sure way to get a crowd together.

The first and most famous mass visit of tourists/explorers, other than Vikings and plundering soldiers, took place in September 1857 when seventy members of the ethnological section of the British Association spent two days on the island, culminating in a great meeting and lunch inside the walls of Dún Aengus.

The S.S. Caloric, led by the famous Ulster scholar, Seaton Milligan, visited the Aran Islands in 1895 and again in 1897.

In early July 1895, another group of archeologists, historians and antiquarians visited. One group from Belfast came exploring around the N West coast under the guidance of Seaton Milligan, on the Steamship Caloric and met up with a Dublin group which had travelled from Galway on the S.S. Duras, under the guidance of the famous Thomas Westropp.

Robert Praeger’s group coming ashore at Cill Muirbhigh, July 15th 1895 (Photo. Balfour album N.U.I.G.)

A week or so later, on July15th 1895, a party from the Irish Field Club Union under the guidance of the famous naturalist, Ulsterman, Robert Lloyd Praeger, also landed at Cill Muirbhigh from the S.S. Duras and visited the islands many famous sites. A magnificent photo of Praeger’s group coming ashore at Cill Muirbhigh, was captured by the famous photographer, R.J. Welsh and is held by the Hardiman library at U.C.G. as part of the Balfour album.

The S.S. Caloric would return again from Belfast in the summer of 1897, again meeting up with a party on the S.S. Duras from Galway. 

Poet and patriot Alice Milligan 1865-1953 who visited Árainn with her father Seaton

These were some of the many academically minded groups to visit the island down through the decades and we may get back to some of those visits at a later date. Mind you, there seem to have been plenty of less academically minded groups, who enjoyed having a day out on the island as we saw in our recent article about the heroic swimming feat of Owen Begley’s poor dog, in 1859.

For now we will just concentrate on the visit of the archeologists and dignitaries in June 1926.

Leaving Galway on the S.S. Dún Angus, very early on Sunday, June 20th, 1926, the group consisted of about twenty archeology students from University College Cork, led by their professor, Rev Canon Patrick Power, an expert on place names in his native Waterford. Archeology professor in Cork from 1915 to 1932.

The Cork students were predominantly male as one of his female students, who qualified in 1928, recorded how Professor Power would take the three female students in his car when doing field trips. The boys would have to travel behind in a bus.

Árainn in mid summer must have been heaven for a man like Patrick Power, for he also had a lifelong interest and love for flora and fauna. For more information on Professor Power we refer you to a short study of his life and career, by Dr  Elizabeth Shee Twohig, who was once senior lecturer in Archeology at U.C.C.

Also on board the S.S. Dún Angus was a party of about twenty members of the County Galway Archaeology Society.

The distinguished guests list  makes for very interesting reading. Dr.Walther Bremer (1887-1926) was a very famous German archeologist. Appointed in 1925 as Keeper of the Irish Antiquities division in the National museum in Dublin, Walther would die the following November at the age of 39. His death was partly a result of malaria contracted on earlier archeological digs in Crete. He was succeeded by the Austrian Hitler admirer, Dr Adolf Mahr.

Aboard also was the well known West of Ireland archeologist and historian, Dr Thomas Bodkin Costello (1864-1956) of Tuam, a great Irish language scholar and friend and collaborator with Douglas Hyde and Edward Martyn.

 Dr. Costello’s legacy has been severely damaged in recent years after his overseeing as medical officer, of Tuam Mother and Baby home, came under scrutiny. Here

Also aboard was an Englishman, 59 year old Alexander Eraut (1867-1947) of College road. Alexander was editor of the Galway Archeological Journal and headmaster at Galway Grammar School from 1894 to 1932. Tom Kenny’s article on this school, based on Tom Kavanagh’s research for his book, Growing up in Galway, can be read Here

The party included the local Cumann na nGaedheal T.D. Seán Broderick from Athenry and the engineer/surveyor/writer, Mr Michael John Tighe.

Two very interesting members of the group were a very famous Irish diplomat, the Protestant Republican, Lindsay Crawford and the Danish painter, Paula Gruttner MacWhite.

Lindsay Crawford 1865-1945

The strange life of Lindsay Crawford is very interesting as he was one of the many Irish Protestants who had genuine Republican views and abhorred the use of religion to keep Irish people divided. An Orangeman, he clashed with many of his peers and at one stage even joined the group known as the Independent Orange Order. He was later expelled for having progressive views.

He stood as a Liberal against the Unionist candidate in Mid Armagh in 1906 and left Ireland for Canada in 1911. He continued to promote the cause of a United Irish Republic with strict adherence to the separation of Church and State. In 1908 he was fired as editor of the Liberal leaning newspaper, Ulster Guardian, for having Home Rule sympathies.

During the War of Independence he highlighted the abuses in his native country and after the treaty, became the Irish Free-state representative in New York. The tragedy of the Civil War was to make his life difficult but he served in this capacity until 1929.

Irish semi Independence in 1922 saw many former Catholic Unionists, effortlessly wrap the green flag around themselves but for Protestant Republicans, things were never that easy. The long promised Republican goal of the separation of Church and State, was soon forgotten as Northern Ireland was delivered into the hands of the Orange Order and the Free State to the Catholic Hierarchy .

Lindsay Crawford’s trip to Árainn in 1926 was part of a three month visit to Ireland and Europe to promote trade and tourism, on behalf of a country that was almost penniless, after a decade of strife. Only for the generous emigrant remittances, sent home to their relations in those troubled times, mainly from the U.K and North America, it’s doubtful if the country could have survived at all. 

The debt this country owes to that emigrant generation of Irish men and women, who helped greatly to keep the “Old Country” afloat, is reflected in the welcome still being extended to their descendants, down to the present day.

Also aboard that day but only identified by the report as the wife of diplomat Michael MacWhite (1882-1958), was the Danish painter Paula Gruttner Hillerod MacWhite (1896-1981). Perhaps Paula went on to produce some art work, inspired by her day out on Galway Bay and the rocks and fields of Árainn.

Paula’s husband Michael, was the Free State representative to the League of Nations in Geneva and his life story is like something out of a novel. Leaving his native Glandore in 1900, Michael rose to the highest ranks in the Irish diplomatic service. 

His life’s adventure would see him wandering the world and along the way picking up several languages. It would also see him enlisting and fighting with first, the Bulgarian army in 1913 and later the French Foreign Legion, with whom he was injured during the Great War.

As part of the Sinn Féin delegation, Michael attended the post war  Paris negotiations but they found themselves frozen out by the British, whom the French and the Americans were loath to offend. At a ceremony in Versailles in 1920, to commemorate the French General Hoche, of 1796 Bantry Bay fame, the British once again tried to exclude the Irish. 

Donning his Captains uniform of the French Foreign Legion, the handsome officer went unrecognised, as he led the parade and placed a palm with the entwined tricolours of France and Ireland, at the Hoche memorial. 
The British were not amused and later made a bit of a fuss but it was all too late. Indiana Jones had nothing on Michael MacWhite.

Michael MacWhite’s papers are held in the library at U.C.D and can be accessed at this LINK

                                        THE VISIT
For the first time in over thirty years, the Connacht Tribune reported, a boat as big as the S.S.Dún Angus managed to dock at the pier in Cill Muirbhigh. This must have been at nearly high water as the pier is very tidal with limited access.

Built in 1893, Cill Muirbhigh pier was never greatly loved by the locals and Tim Robinson has a memorable quote in his book “Stones of Aran”. He recalled an old man telling him “ You don’t build a pier on dry land: that’s MY policy anyway”. You can’t really argue with that.

The excursionists first visited  Na Seacht dTeampaill,  (Seven Churches) and it can only be assumed that side cars were laid on. Then again, perhaps they all walked. A jarvey once told us that the ideal tourist for him, was one who loved the fresh air but was not fit enough to walk or cycle.

Of course he was underestimating the worldwide fame of Aran Jarveys, for their ability to tell great stories, which even the fittest of tourists might be drawn to experience.

At the Seven Churches, there was much discussion about the famous grave of the “VII Romani” (Seven Romans), a mystery that, to this day, has divided opinion.

Heading back towards the Dún, the party visited the famous beehive hut, Clochán na Carraige. They appear to have been accompanied by a dog and whether the dog was an excursionist too or a local that had learned to exploit “stráinséirs” for treats, we may never know.

Aran dogs are believed by some, to spend the winter practising forlorn and bemused looks which they then use to their great advantage, during the tourist season.

Next came what was probably the highlight of the visit when the party arrived at the great fort of Dún Aengus. They had earlier been overwhelmed by its imposing dominance, as they approached Cill Muirbhigh from the sea.

Like their predecessors in 1857, the party now settled down inside the Dún, to eat what was described as an “al fresco” lunch. Something that many visitors have continued to do since, although most would nowadays describe it as a “picnic” or a “bite to eat”. 

Whether, like their predecessors in 1857, a generous supply of beer, wine and sherry was on hand, is not recorded. However, it’s doubtful if a group of students from Cork, historians from Galway and a section of the diplomatic corps, failed to drink a toast to their good fortune. It goes without saying, that the journalists present, didn’t go thirsty either.

After inspecting the great fort, the party then moved off along the high road to Cill Rónáin, stopping off to have a look at Teampall an Cheathrair Álainn, known in English as the Church of the Four beautiful Saints.

 We can assume that those with eye problems took the opportunity to get some water from the nearby holy well. This well was credited with Synge in his play, “The Well of the Saints”, with having magical powers.

After inspecting some Leachtaí memorials on the way, the group finally made their way back to Cill Rónáin and at 7 P.M. once again boarded the S.S. Dún Angus, which had steamed back from Cill Muirbhigh to Cill Rónáin.

That they all slept well that short midsummer night can be certain as they would not have reached their beds in Galway, much before midnight. We can assume that the day out was a great success and helped draw many visitors to the islands, in the years since.

It was reported that two extra passengers returned with the group to Galway. They were identified as two members of the Abbey Theatre, secretary John Henry Perrin and well known Abbey actor and producer, Michael J Dolan (1884-1954).

Abbey actor Michael J Dolan, who played the part of the Ghost in the 1951 film “Scrooge” was also on board the S.S. Dún Angus

The local Connacht Tribune sent a special correspondent and photographer to cover the event and most of what we know about the visit is down to this. 

The Connacht Tribune is still going strong and the importance of reliable local papers like the Tribune, Tuam Herald and Advertiser, in documenting our times, is invaluable. 

We knew an old man in the 1960s who used to say with a smile, but with an underlying hint of truth “ If it’s not in the Tribune, it didn’t happen” 

Once again, thanks for staying with us until the end and if we have anything incorrect, please feel free to let us know.
Apologies for going down many side roads with this story but having never been trained in research, we tend to go with the flow as the story uncovers.

Michael Muldoon  Jan 2020

A shaggy dog tale

The swimming feat of a Galway dog in August 1859

In September 1859, newspapers around the world carried a report from The Galway Vindicator, of how Owen Begley’s dog managed to swim twenty miles, to get home.

SWIMMING FEAT OF A DOG,- Among the excursionists to Arran last Thursday, was a dog, the property of Mr Owen Begley, of Prospect Hill. On the return of the Vesper, the poor animal- either through the unfeeling act of some person, or by accident - was precipitated overboard at twenty miles from land. Mr Begley thought the dog was lost, when, to his surprise, next evening, the noble creature reached his masters house, having made a swim of twenty miles in some hours. (Galway Vindicator )

While this is undoubtedly a great story, those familiar with Galway Bay will have some doubts as to its accuracy. 

We can take it from the report that if the journalist from the Vindicator had been unfortunate enough to either fall or be thrown overboard at Ceann Bóirne (Black Head), he would have started swimming the twenty miles to Galway, hoping to climb ashore around Nimmo’s pier. 

We did a piece some years ago about the bravery and intelligence of a lighthouse keepers dog “Rover” on Oileáin na Tuí (Straw Island) who aided in the rescue of some fishermen from a Welsh Steam Trawler, in 1911. “Rover” had plunged into the surf and dragged an unconscious fisherman ashore.

We have no reason to doubt that the dogs of Galway town were any less brave or intelligent and on finding itself in the water near Black Head, it looked to the shores, a few miles away on either side, at the foot of the Burren or at South Connemara before making up its mind, which way to swim.

The story of “Rover”, a heroic Dog of Aran, who  helped save the day in 1911.

Of course another likely possibility is that the dog was picked up by one of the many little sailing boats that worked the bay in those days. Still, the twenty mile swim would get most attention.

A view of Ceann Boirne and Galway Bay with Inish Meáin in the distance. A long way to have to swim.

This little story led us to research the 148 ft Paddle Steamer Vesper under the command of thirty two year old Captain John McIntyre, which worked the bay in those days. This in turn brought us to the story of the Galway Trans Atlantic Line which flourished for a while in the late 1850s before eventually going out of business. 

For more details on this ill fated venture and the involvement of the great Fr Peter Daly and the lines owner, Mr John Orwell Lever, readers can find a well researched and easy to read account by the Galway historian Timothy Collins in two essays he contributed to the Galway Archaelogical and Historical Society  The Galway Line in Context: A Contribution to Galway Maritime History (Part I) Author(s): Timothy Collins

Source: Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, Vol. 46 (1994), 

This society is a mine of information and details can be found online at this link.Here

The Paddle Steamer that brought the visitors to Arran that Sunday in August 1859 was P.S. Vesper which had been built in the James Henderson yard in Renfrew, Scotland in 1848. 

The popularity of Arran had been massively boosted in the summer of 1857 when about seventy members the Ethnological Section of the British Association, held a great meeting and banquet inside the walls of DúnAengus.

Led by Sir William Wilde, father of Oscar, this marked the start of a great interest and determination to highlight and preserve, not only the archeology of the Aran Islands, but of all Ireland. 

The great fort of Dun Aengus. which hosted a great banquet in 1857. It has been drawing visitors ever since.

An indication of just how successful the banquet was, is that it finished with the French ambassador dancing a jig. Testimony to the enjoyment of the guests and the quality and volume of the wine on offer.

Here is a link to three posts on the  Aran banquet of 1857

The Paddle Steamer Vesper had been brought to Galway to assist in ferrying passengers and luggage to the ships that, for a few years, operated from Galway to North America. The occasional trip to Arran was a summer addition and this boat also operated on occasion to the south shore ports of Ballyvaughan, New Quay and Kinvara.

We are unsure if the paddle steamer pictured below was the “Vesper” in question but the low rails may explain how a poor dog might easily end up in the water.

Paddle Steamer Vesper near Gravesend on the river Thames.

The possibility that some drunken latchico did indeed throw the poor dog overboard is strengthened by a report in the local paper about the very same trip to Arran. No mention of the dog though.

Sound like everybody except Owen and his dog, had a great day out.

THE TRIP TO ARRAN

The “Vesper” left the quay on Thursday on an excursion trip and having called at Salthill, steamed out of the bay with more than 200 excursionists. Refreshments were provided on board and all “ went merry as a marriage bell”
Set after set stood up, and the pleasures of the dance were not discontinued, till the vessel reached Arran when the fun was renewed with increased vigour. After spending four agreeable hours in Arran, the lighthearted party returned to the Vesper, and after a pleasant run, they were again in the prosy soberness of Galway life.(Galway Vindicator)

Catering on the Vesper was often provided by Mr Black of Black's Hotel. (Photo N.L.I. from the 1890s)

At one stage there was a suggestion that the Vester be put to work on the river Corrib as this was not long after the magnificent Eglinton canal was opened, linking the lake with Galway bay. Not sure if this ever came to pass.

Looks like original plan was to use the Vesper on the Corrib

The vesper moved on from Galway in 1860 and on her way south stopped off in Cork, Ireland’s greatest natural harbour, and made a few pounds doing some ferry work on the river Lee.

The Vesper in Cork in July 1860

We came across a number of incidents involving the Vesper and her short time in Galway was quite eventful. One evening in September 1858, coming back from servicing the liner “Pacific”, she was in collision with a hooker which quickly sank. Nobody was lost it seems and Mr Lever offered the fisherman £10 to get a new boat.

Some time previously, in March 1859, word came through to Galway that a deserted ship had been seen drifting past Árainn and through the North Sound, into Galway Bay. The Vesper had a head of steam up and immediately headed off to try and salvage the ship and cargo. They were too late as already a Claddagh fishing boat had spotted her and with the help of another boat was towing her to Galway. These boats, the Falcon and the Siren were said to be owned by Peter Sweeney.

A map showing Galway Bay and the North Sound. Dog went overboard somewhere between Black Head and Connemara.

Being a steamer, the Vesper was much better suited to towing the crippled ship but her offer of help was refused for obvious reasons. 

It seems the Vesper crew may have been too forward in their offer of "help", as the Claddagh men armed themselves with hatchets in order to reinforce their refusal of assistance. The ghost ship was eventually beached near Mutton island and the cargo of timber, salvaged.

Deserted ship salvaged in Galway Bay in 1859. Had drifted through the N. Sound

A postscript to the deserted ship is that she was believed to be the brig Triumph of Limerick. This ship had been making a passage from St Johns with a cargo of timber when she foundered in mid Atlantic. Sadly, a report reached Galway a few days later of the bodies of six men being washed up on the Aran Islands and many thought these men must have been from the deserted ship. The number was later reported as three.

Just how many were lost at sea in those times is impossible to know but it seems the crew of the Triumph had been rescued some weeks earlier, on Christmas day 1858, in an exhausted state, by the American ship Cordelia.

The crew were near to death and had spent more than a week in the rigging as their boat became waterlogged. Who the dead men washed up on the Aran islands were, God only knows. 

So a heartwarming story of a brave dog can lead one down so many other avenues and we had better stop now before we wander any further.  We did come across however, the fact that Owen was in his early twenties at the time and although he would later be charged with having a wandering dog in Bohermore, the charge was dismissed.

And then there was the story of a disgruntled passenger writing a letter of complaint to the newspapers about the arrogant behaviour of the captain of the Vesper, on an excursion to Arran. The captain had been pushed into service to cover for the regular master. The following week a letter appeared refuting the allegations and signed by a vast amount of the great and good, who had been aboard that day. 

Better not go into that as we have been advised that some of our articles are somewhat on the long side.

In what is known in Ireland as a "backhanded compliment" our reader said they enjoyed the article but it was a “biteen too long”. 

Michael Muldoon.