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 John Keane, Henry Attridge & Cornelius Wade
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| doncormack |
Posted on 10/01/2012 01:55
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 New Member  Posts: 2 Joined: 10/01/2012 |
John Keane (1814-1852) was my gt.gt.grandfather. He was Command Boatman at Blacksod Point Coastguard Station from 18 March 1848 till his death by drowning, when the coastguard boat overturned, with coastguards Henry Attridge and Cornelius Ward also perishing, on 5 November 1852. He had previously served as Boatman at Mannin Point, and previous to that at Poole Harbour and Eastbourne in England (here he met, and later married Sarah Hide, daughter of head-fisherman James 'Navarino' Hide, on 7 November 1842). A native of County Mayo, John Keane (aka Keine) first went to sea on 21 May 1834 when he joined the Royal Navy (HMS Portland). He later transferred to the Coastguard service. He left a widow and four small children all under eight years (Charles, Susan, Sarah, & Mary Anne). Sarah returned to Eastbourne, took in dressmaking and raised her four children, dying in 1907 aged 87. As a result of his father's death in service, and in hope of influencing more Eastbourne fishermen to join the navy, the Royal Naval School at Greenwich was 'leaned on' by the Admiralty to accept the eldest, Charles, aged 13. Charles later also died at sea in very strange circumstances--in 1869, aged just 25 (a longboat- full of sailors was taken, apparently, by cannibals off the coast of Africa). John & Sarah's youngest child was my gt. grandmother, the fiery Mary Anne Keane who later married a coastguardman John Castle. I understand that there is a cairn erected to the memory of these three coastguards. Can someone possibly confirm this as I would like very much to visit the place. I would also like to know where he is buried and if there is any knowledge of his Irish ancestors. There is, finally, a very mysterious story which has come to us and which I cannot confirm. Perhaps someone can shed some light on this. Apparently, on that fateful day, the coastguards had taken a much-despised English landlord across to some island off Blacksod Point to collect his taxes/rents in these dire times in Ireland. As the coastguard galley was preparing to leave a young woman, heavily pregnant, asked the men for a lift across to the mainland to deliver her baby. The landlord adamantly refused her request and the boat sailed away. But as it did so the young woman caste her shawl over the water and called down a curse on them. Shortly afterwards, in a sudden squall, the boat foundered. Is this a well-known/documented story or has someone kissed the Blarney Stone? John Keane was a kind man with a 'very good' service record and I am very proud to have such a man of such steel and discipline among my ancestors; though, God knows, I feel most unworthy of them. Don Cormack |
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