‘We will do what we can, no matter how long it takes’
Sleepless nights are taking their toll on everyone involved, as a southeasterly gale continues to block a dive search of the Tit Bonhomme.
Retired fisherman Bill Deasy has been sharing his expert local knowledge to aid the search operation from Union Hall pier.
His cousin Martin Deasy carries the family of Michael Hayes out to the mouth of Glandore Harbour in his trawler.
The search process out on the water has been tough, but cathartic.
“It does help, at least they can see firsthand what’s being done. It’s difficult to describe, because of the conditions that are out there at the moment. The divers are diving but they cannot dive near the Tit Bonhomme, they are going as says as safety will allow them,” he said.
“In a rural community like ours, we are all connected with the sea, we will do what we can, no matter how long it takes.”
Local residents from the three neighbouring villages of Union Hall, Glandore and Leap have come out in force to comb the shoreline.
The scale of the loss and the ongoing search efforts are difficult for them as they wait for the waters to return those who are lost.
“We have never experienced tragedy on the scale of this magnitude. One life lost is one too many, but to have been five, 10 minutes from the port, is something that I can’t comprehend,” said Mr Deasy.
The five missing fishermen were not well known to residents. They were known well only to a handful of colleagues working out of Union Hall pier. But everyone here is carrying a shared burden.
“They are all turning up, bringing food. The four pubs in the village, the local shop, they are all chipping in as well as the local people, they are all coming down with whatever is needed,” said Mr Deasy.
Garda co-ordinator for the pier operation, Pauline Reid, said the Egyptian community in Ireland numbered more than 100.
Caitlín Ní Aodha, the wife of trawler skipper Michael Hayes, has spent whole days on the trawlers.
“The one thing for them in bereavement is doing something. The Egyptians, God help them, are badly hit today. They are not sleeping and they are panicking. This just shatters communities.”
Those of the Islamic faith stood shoulder to shoulder facing east yesterday in a ceremony that helped to calm and focus their minds. Today, they will be brought to locations closer to Adam’s Island, including Mike Daly’s farm on the western side of the coast and to a community garden in Glandore overlooking the bay to gather together.
Bishop John Buckley praised the efforts of the local community and the search teams, describing their efforts as “admirable”.
“Society needs people like you who are dedicated to the help of others and you are doing that with great unselfishness and without accolades and you deserve the appreciation and the admiration of everyone,” he said.
The trauma visited upon this close knit village has altered the way Bill Deasy views the sea, but fishing — his first love — is like a drug to him.
“If you love it, you love it. It’s the sense of freedom that you have out there, you are pitting your wits against the weather, against nature, against everything possible to get a good catch. I knew no other job and if I was a young fellow again, I would start away fishing in the morning,” he said.
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