When 14 people in period costume set off by horse and sidecar this weekend, they will be marking Mayo’s commemoration of the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic.
The parishes of Lahardane and Addergoole lost 11 of their 14 residents, who joined the ship in Cobh – then Queenstown – Co Cork, 100 years ago. Every year the event is remembered in the community with the tolling of a church bell.
This year, the parishes are hosting a week-long programme of events, the Mayo Titanic Cultural Week. It will be opened on Easter Sunday by former president Mary Robinson.
The Addergoole 14 will mount their transport and travel to Castlebar, where they will stop to re-enact their ticket purchase in Linenhall Street and Main Street. They will then walk to Castlebar railway station where a plaque will be unveiled.
The three survivors lived out their days in the United States; Addergoole is remembered as the parish that suffered the “largest proportionate loss of life when the Titanic sank”.
Next Wednesday, five Caltra residents, also dressed in period costume, will travel by train from Athlone, Co Westmeath, to Cobh island in Cork harbour, where they will visit the Maritime Heritage Centre and the Titanic Experience museum and will lay a wreath out in Cork harbour.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny will open a memorial park in Lahardane on April 15th, incorporating a 12ft bronze sculpture of the ship.
