Work set to begin on garden of reflection

Work set to begin on garden of reflection

19 March 2025

WORK is underway on a permanent memorial to the 73 men who lost their lives in the Newcastle fishing disaster in 1843.

The Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association has agreed on the design of a “garden of reflection” at South Promenade which incorporates a plaque commissioned by the group to remember the victims.

Mournes councillor, Willie Clarke, said the location is “particularly fitting” and he believes it will serve as a poignant tribute to the lives lost.

The men who perished that fateful night when they got caught up in an unexpected and severe storm were from the resort, Annalong and wider Mourne area.

They were fishing for herring in 16 vessels which got caught up in the storm which engulfed them as they made their way to fishing grounds off the coast.

A number of the vessels capsized, drowning those on board, while several boats rowed out from Newcastle and Annalong to mount a rescue mission.

Those who perished in the tragedy left behind 27 widows and almost 100 dependent children. 

Many of the boats were swamped as they had already taken on board a good catch of fish which added to the extreme danger they faced. Desperately, the men men tried to row back to safety through hurricane conditions.

Only two boats survived the storm getting back to port, the Victoria and the Brothers. 

Of the 73 men who perished, 46 were from King Street in Newcastle, while one of the skiffs managed to get shelter in Killough harbour, with the tragic event leaving the small, tight-knit fishing community with two thirds of its men-folk wiped out. 

The Watch House at the harbour was used as a temporary morgue and to this day there is a great attachment to the building from local people in the harbour area.

Shortly after the event, a public subion was established to provide a relief fund to assist these families, with the Widows Row cottages built in Newcastle to house some of the widows and their children bereaved in the terrible tragedy.

Last year, a plaque was unveiled at Newcastle harbour to commemorate the 180th anniversary of what is regarded as one of Ireland’s worst maritime disasters.

Cllr Clarke said the garden of reflection presents a “unique opportunity” for the community to come together and create a lasting memorial. 

He said in addition to honouring the 73 men who perished in the 1843 disaster, the memorial will also acknowledge the numerous other lives lost at sea from the locality.

Cllr Clarke has been instrumental in driving the project forward and said it has always been his intention to pursue a more permanent structure in recognition of the local community’s “tremendous loss.”

He thanked Newry, Mourne and Down Council officials Aidan Mallon and Johnathan Ellis for their efforts in delivering the project.

“I am thrilled to see this vision become a reality,” added Cllr Clarke, who said the garden of reflection will become a “tranquil and contemplative space,” providing a fitting tribute to the lives lost and a place for reflection.