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The mystery of a 250-year-old shipwreck in Sligo has finally been solved by historians.
Known locally as the Butter Boat, the skeletal remains of a wooden shipwreck on the Streedagh Strand in Co Sligo only appear when the sands change.
However, no one knew the true story behind the ship or how it sank, until now, notably 250 years after the week it sank.
Historians from the National Monuments Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have discovered that they are the remains of a ship called the Greyhound, which sailed from the port of Whitby in Yorkshire in England in the 18th century.
They have also revealed the full tragic story of how the ship was wrecked on the night of December 12, 1770, where 20 people died.
That night 250 years ago, a storm hit the seas and unable to dock at Broadhaven Bay, the Greyhound was forced to anchor in a dangerous position below the cliffs of Erris Head in County Mayo.
The crew was forced to abandon ship and, in a tragic oversight, a cabin boy was left on board.
After learning that the cabin boy was left on board, local volunteers from Broadhaven Bay met with the crew of a passing ship from Galway and some of the original Greyhound crew and attempted to rescue the boy and the ship.
Although the rescue team managed to board the Greyhound and move the ship away from the cliffs, the Greyhound was pushed out to sea by the force of the storm with some of the volunteer crew still on board, as well as the cabin boy. Later that night, the ship was wrecked in the Streedagh Strand, with the loss of 20 lives.
On Saturday night, the locals of the Streedagh Strand, the locals of Saturday, as well as religious leaders and members of the National Monuments team that solved the mystery, paid tribute to those lost at sea and laid a wreath on the shipwreck. , remembering their known dead for the first time on what was their exact 250th anniversary.
“Its dire history clearly illustrates the dangers of the sea, but also highlights how, in times of trouble, the common bond of the sea unites people of different origins in an attempt to save lives,” said State Minister for Heritage Malcolm. Noonan.
“In particular, I am struck by the value of folklore archives coupled with applied archaeological research in uncovering the full and tragic history of the Greyhound and those caught up in the tragedy.”
The researchers used historical accounts in 18th century accounts in the Freeman’s Journal to uncover the history of the ship, which is now known as the Greyhound.
The Greyhound was a coastal ship from Whitby in Yorkshire, built in 1747, that traded in Great Britain and Ireland.
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