Thursday 10 July 2014

Quilty, County Clare, and The Leon shipwreck, a 1963 RTE Television Radharc Documentary

This RTÉ Radharc documentary from 1963 includes an interview with Michael McInerney who took part in the rescue of French sailors from the stricken Leon XIII off Quilty in October 1907. Michael recounts his experience of the rescue and observes that the rescuers ‘didn’t get one thrupenny bit out of the French’ and, of the 32 Quilty men named on the commemorative plaque in Quilty Church - ‘ah, the half a them weren’t in it’. An account of the rescue is given on Clare Museum’s section of the library website. The Museum holds a life-ring from the ship. The video above was posted on Youtube on the 30th of June 2014 by Garrett Brown.

The Leon XIII adrift off Quilty. Clare County Library Macnamara Collection.

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