A chara, – John Horgan's interesting Irishman's Diary (October 11th) reminded me of a dispute concerning Lough Foyle dating back 40 years.
In February 1981, the IRA blew up the British-registered cargo ship Nellie M, several hundred yards off Moville. The ship’s owners made compensation claims in both jurisdictions, UK and the Republic of Ireland. If either state failed to pay the compensation, there was a perception of ceding sovereignty of the lough. Yet, if both paid the full amount, the owners would receive double payment, raising a public outcry of spending waste.
To the British, the waters of Lough Foyle were consolidated into the county of Derry in the 17th century and remained so. Countering this, a Dublin civil servant noted: “the territorial seas of the whole island, which were included in the territory which passed under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 did not and could not ‘opt out’; only the administrative areas of counties could – and six did – opt out. The territorial seas around these counties remained territorial seas of the new State and still do so.” Minister for Justice Gerry Collins insisted Nellie M was sunk in the Republic’s waters and ordered that a 25-inch map be placed in the Dáil library showing the line between British and Irish waters. The British embassy in Dublin, on hearing this, wrote to Whitehall that this would be a difficult feat for Mr Collins as no such map existed!
The issue dragged on and the following year, perhaps encouraged by the political fuss kicked up by Nellie M, the IRA blew up another British-registered cargo ship, St Bedan, in the same location. The British government approached the Irish with an offer to split the bills, with payments from both sides beginning simultaneously and without prejudice to the ongoing sovereignty dispute. The Irish government did not respond, despite repeated requests from London. Eventually, when they agreed to the offer, they were told by London that British payments had now exceeded 50 per cent of the total amount, making for an awkward situation.
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Issues like the Lough Foyle demarcation have a tendency to come to the fore like Hemingway’s description of bankruptcy: gradually, then suddenly. –Is mise,
GEARÓID Ó FAOLEÁN,
London.
Sir, – John Horgan writes that residents of Donegal are happy enough that their county has only a “marginal connection” with the rest of the island.
Is this the thinking behind the failure to complete the the A5 Derry to Dublin expressway promised in the 2006 St Andrews Agreement? – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.