Galway Bay drowning tragedy
Galway Bay (Irish: Loch Lurgain or Cuan na Gaillimhe) is a large bay (or sea lough) on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to 30 kilometres (19 mi) in breadth. The Aran Islands (Oileáin Árann) are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.
The approaches to the bay between the Aran Islands and the mainland are as follows:
Galway Bay is famous for its unique traditional sailing craft, the Galway Hooker.
On 4 May 1902, eight fishermen from a nearby village lost their lives while sailing on Galway Bay, near Kilcolgan. Seven (Patrick Folan, Patrick Burns, Patrick McDonagh, John Barrett, Michael Burke, Michael Dwyer and Stephen Hynes) drowned; Patrick Walsh swam to shore at nearby Kilcolgan, but died of exhaustion on the beach. A fundraising campaign was organised for the families of the drowned fishermen.
From Toasted Heretic's Galway Bay:
From The Mahones A Drunken Night in Dublin:
From The Waterboys' Spring Comes to Spiddal:
Map of Galway Bay and environs.
Galway Bay from Salthill.
Galway Bay near County Clare.
Galway Bay in December.
Coordinates: 53°12′N 9°14′W / 53.200°N 9.233°W
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