by the sight of the ten ‘sleeping’ cadavers, along with the pitiful sobs of the women, as they came out shaking their heads. Biddy tried to console the young girls as best she could, while the firemen stood guard at the bothy doorway, four of them keeping the young Irish girls away from the ghoulish sight of the bodies before they were removed to the funeral home. Biddy tried her best, but the girls, wild with grief, clawed at the blackened uniforms begging to be let inside to say goodbye to their men. The Cleggan firemen stood firm and impervious to the women’s pleadings, even though their own hearts were breaking. What worse fate was there than to lose a father, a brother? Only to lose a son or a husband – and breaking the news to the mothers and wives back in Ireland was all these women had to look forward to now.
Biddy had not lost anyone directly belonging to her in the fire and, being the elder of the group, had to take charge of the young mourners. She was beyond grateful when completestrangers from the local community, and beyond, stepped in to make all of the arrangements. The firemen from Cleggan called upon their colleagues from as far away as Glasgow and Fife to come out in support of their fellow Celts. Most of the Scottish firemen were themselves volunteer reserves and so were far from inured to the horrors of firefighting. Although it was agreed that the fire was no more than a terrible tragedy – and that in no way could they have saved the lives of the men inside the building – they still felt somewhat responsible for the welfare of these Irish unfortunates and wanted to help them in any way they could.
A fund was set up and enough money was raised to pay for the funerals and recompense the tattie-hokers for the money they had lost – not just in the fire but in earnings for the rest of the season.
News of the tragedy spread through Scotland and Ireland, and consumed two countries already weighed down with the bad news of war so that two days after the fire took place and each of the ten coffins arrived in Glasgow, the streets from the train station to the port were lined with ordinary Scottish people come to pay their respects.
Biddy was astonished to see the coffins being transported in black carriages with plumed horses; then each one was lifted onto the boat by uniformed firemen and passed into the care of the Dublin Garda Síochána, who had travelled over to accompany the bodies back.
However, with the overwhelming grief of these five young women resting on her spinster shoulders, Biddy was very grateful for the practical help given to her by the Cleggan women who travelled with them across to Dublin. The Cleggan branch of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute and St Andrew’s Ambulance Association volunteered to travel with the six distraught womenand make sure that their nutritional and medical needs were tended to, making their return trip more comfortable than their journey across. A section had been cordoned off for them in the first-class area of the ship as a gift from the shipping company. Delicious food was also made available, with tea and coffee served to them as if they were gentry. There were cushions at their back and beds for them to sleep on, with soft down blankets laid over them with the attentive care of the gentle Scottish women.
At Dublin Port, it seemed as though every soul in the whole of Ireland had travelled to meet them. Biddy and the girls stood at the top of the steps of the boat, three decks up. They were already in awe at being so elevated, but as they looked down, each one gasped in astonishment at the sea of people stretched out in front of them. Their plight had touched the hearts of every newspaper reader and every radio listener in their homeland and Ireland’s mourners were out in force; the black of their clothes was woven through the city landscape, making it appear as if a deep hole had been carved through the streets of the capital. Although in
Biddy had not lost anyone directly belonging to her in the fire and, being the elder of the group, had to take charge of the young mourners. She was beyond grateful when completestrangers from the local community, and beyond, stepped in to make all of the arrangements. The firemen from Cleggan called upon their colleagues from as far away as Glasgow and Fife to come out in support of their fellow Celts. Most of the Scottish firemen were themselves volunteer reserves and so were far from inured to the horrors of firefighting. Although it was agreed that the fire was no more than a terrible tragedy – and that in no way could they have saved the lives of the men inside the building – they still felt somewhat responsible for the welfare of these Irish unfortunates and wanted to help them in any way they could.
A fund was set up and enough money was raised to pay for the funerals and recompense the tattie-hokers for the money they had lost – not just in the fire but in earnings for the rest of the season.
News of the tragedy spread through Scotland and Ireland, and consumed two countries already weighed down with the bad news of war so that two days after the fire took place and each of the ten coffins arrived in Glasgow, the streets from the train station to the port were lined with ordinary Scottish people come to pay their respects.
Biddy was astonished to see the coffins being transported in black carriages with plumed horses; then each one was lifted onto the boat by uniformed firemen and passed into the care of the Dublin Garda Síochána, who had travelled over to accompany the bodies back.
However, with the overwhelming grief of these five young women resting on her spinster shoulders, Biddy was very grateful for the practical help given to her by the Cleggan women who travelled with them across to Dublin. The Cleggan branch of the Scottish Women’s Rural Institute and St Andrew’s Ambulance Association volunteered to travel with the six distraught womenand make sure that their nutritional and medical needs were tended to, making their return trip more comfortable than their journey across. A section had been cordoned off for them in the first-class area of the ship as a gift from the shipping company. Delicious food was also made available, with tea and coffee served to them as if they were gentry. There were cushions at their back and beds for them to sleep on, with soft down blankets laid over them with the attentive care of the gentle Scottish women.
At Dublin Port, it seemed as though every soul in the whole of Ireland had travelled to meet them. Biddy and the girls stood at the top of the steps of the boat, three decks up. They were already in awe at being so elevated, but as they looked down, each one gasped in astonishment at the sea of people stretched out in front of them. Their plight had touched the hearts of every newspaper reader and every radio listener in their homeland and Ireland’s mourners were out in force; the black of their clothes was woven through the city landscape, making it appear as if a deep hole had been carved through the streets of the capital. Although in
Similar Books
