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The mystery behind a well-known Sligo shipwreck has finally been solved, and researchers found that 20 people died when it was washed out to sea 250 years ago.
Researchers from the National Monuments Service combined scientific analysis with historical archival materials to trace the remains of the Streedagh Strand, known to locals as the ‘Butter Ship’, dating back to the early 18th century in Yorkshire, England. The ship, now known to have been titled the Greyhound, was a coastal commercial ship that regularly traveled between Great Britain and Ireland.
This time it was launched from the Yorkshire port of Whitby in December 1770, under Captain Douthard, but ran into difficulties due to bad weather at Broadhaven Bay, Co Mayo.
Investigators learned from historical accounts in the Freeman’s Journal that the ship anchored in the cliffs of Erris Head and the crew was forced to abandon ship.
Later, the crew realized that they had left a cabin boy on board the ship. Local volunteers from Broadhaven Bay, along with the Greyhound crew and the crew of a passing ship from Galway, attempted to save the boy. The ship, along with many of the rescue team, were swept out to sea by the force of the storm and 20 people died on December 12.
Locals, along with members of the National Monuments team, gathered on Streedagh Strand on Saturday to lay a wreath and remember the dead on the 250th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.
The Minister of State for Heritage at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, praised his department’s National Monument team for revealing a detailed story.
“I know that there is great local interest in this shipwreck and that its identity has been a subject of debate for many years … I am very happy that through archaeological research, scientific analysis and research of historical archives our Service National Monuments has been able to finally confirm the identity of the shipwreck, “he said.
Noonan said he is particularly impressed by the value of the folklore archives coupled with applied archaeological research in uncovering the full and tragic history of the Greyhound.
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