Wives attend memorial for fishermen lost on Honeydew

THE wives of two fishermen who drowned when their trawler went down off the south coast in early January laid anchor-shaped floral wreaths at a poignant seamen’s memorial in Kinsale, Co Cork yesterday.

Mary Bohan and Anita Jagla, the wives of Honeydew II skipper Ger Bohan and his crewman, Tomasz Jagla, were among the hundreds who attended a special ecumenical service in Kinsale at 11am yesterday.

The Kinsale-based trawler went down off Mine Head between Dungarvan and Ardmore some time after 1am on January 11.

Pere Charles fishermen Pat Hennessy, Tom Hennessy, Pat Coady, Billy O’Connor and Andriy Dyrin who lost their lives in early January when their trawler went to ground were also remembered at the service.

The Honeydew II and the Pere Charles sunk off the south coast within hours of each other in unrelated incidents.

Yesterday’s memorial at St Multose Church was the 16th annual Sea Sunday service.

Canon David Williams said the families of the Honeydew II and Pere Charles had suffered a “terrible tragedy”.

He told the packed church that the fishermen’s home towns of Kinsale and Dunmore East were united in their support for the relatives of the dead.

Meanwhile, Reverend Frank McAleese said it was understandable that those who had suffered such a loss would be “perplexed and bewildered.” He admitted when one is plunged in to an “abyss of despair” God could seem very distant.

However, he insisted it was important for us all to hang on to our faith even in times of crisis.

“It is understandable but pointless to turn away from a God who we feel has deserted us just as we need him most. It is forgivable but a mistake to turn away from God.”

The special service was attended by representatives of the RNLI, the Irish Navy, the Irish Coastguard, the South and Western Fishermen’s Organisation, the Merchant Navy Association, An Garda Síochána and the Irish Air Corp.

The Sea Sunday service included appropriate hymns such as The Manx Fisherman’s hymn, I Feel The Winds of God, and the Falter of Breath. Readings and prayers were recited by members of the various maritime organisations.

The service was followed by a ceremony on the pier head involving the blessing of boats and the laying of wreaths by Ms Jagla, Ms Bohan and the Chairman of the Harbour Commissioners Eamon O’Neill.

Honeydew II skipper Ger Bohan is survived by his wife Mary and the couple’s four children who range in age from 18 to six. The Bohan’s attended the mass alongside Polish national Anita Jagla, wife of drowned crewman Tomasz. The father of two had lived in Kinsale for little over a year when his life ended prematurely.

Sea Sunday concluded at the pier head in Kinsale with a special rendition of Home From The Sea, led by Courtmacsherry and Kinsale Lifeboat crews.