Michael Byrne
Born Arklow October 1870
By Colette O'Rorke
Michael Byrne (parents John Byrne and Dorothy Fitzpatrick) is supposed to have been "lost at sea" but I have no idea when. However, I was very interested to discover recently that a Michael Byrne is registered in the burial records of Arklow (St. Gabriel's) in Nov. 1909 as having been "lost at sea" from the MARY AGNES, owned by James Horan. I subsequently found the Will of James Horan which includes this info " ....who died 19 October 1909, off Lundy Island, Bristol Channel...." Also found this info "1910 - October 19th. The Arklow owned schooner, “James & Agnes”, Swansea for Cowes, I.O.W. with 220 tons of anthracite, sailed on the morning tide. A gale blew up in the evening and the vessel was sighted by another Arklow owned schooner, the “Venedocian”, as she passed to the east of Lundy. The “James & Agnes was never seen again and a Board of Trade enquiry concluded that she must have been run down by an unknown steamer in the vicinity of Lundy Island. .The crew consisted of Captain Horan and four other Arklow men. What I'm hoping is that the tragedy was reported locally, and might include who the parents of Michael Byrne were, or his age, or any further info about him. Can anybody help, please?