TWO BROTHERS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11934, 28 January 1936, Page 2

TWO BROTHERS

FATHER’S TRAGIC LAST HOUR. A REQUIEM BY THE IRISH SHORE Through the pathos of the tale of the Irish sailing-boat which went down off the coast of Donegal shines a rare gleam of courage, The boat, with 19 Irish harvesters returning home to Aranmore Island, capsized in a fog, and only one was saved. At the sad funeral on the island, with poor women weeping for the loss of their husbands and brothers, the parish priest told the tale of Patrick Gallagher, who alone had been rescued. After the wreck of the boat nine of the men tried to climb on her, including Pat Galagher, his father, and his three brothers. Ned Ward, the bowman of the Aran lifeboat, clutched the father and struggled alongside with him. Then he shouted “Here is your father for you, Pat,” and Pat took hold of his father. He held him for some time hut in the end had to let him go, for he was so heavy.

Through the long dark night Patrick clung with one hand to the overturned boat, and with the other had held up his brother. Twelve hours he had kept that sad vigil while his brother grew weaker and weaker, and at last slipped away from life. Toward the last the brother who lived had tried to cheer the one who died by singing to him some of the old Gaelic songs they' had learned as boys.

When it was all over it was found that Ned Ward, who brought Patrick’s father to him, had gone. .