Memorial Ceremony held at Kilmore Quay
Families and friends of those lost at sea gathered in St Peter's Church, Kilmore Quay for the 9th annual memorial ceremony which was held on 21 June 2009. Wreaths commemorating those lost at sea were brought to the altar and later taken to the Memorial Garden.
Following the church ceremony a lone piper, Michael Roche, led a procession to the Memorial Garden at Forlorn Point where the Wreath Laying Ceremony took place. Sam Williams, retired Depot Bosun, laid a wreath in memory of six members of the crew of the Irish Lights vessel ss Isolda who were killed when the ship was bombed on 19 December 1940. Sam is the last living survivor of the attack.
The memorial was originally conceived as a monument to those lost at sea; however, it subsequently evolved into a Memorial Trail and Garden. The Trail, which represents a Journey of Hope in the grieving process for all who have experienced a loss, leads to the Garden which is dedicated to those who lost their lives at sea and particularly to those whose bodies were never recovered.
Since its opening on 17 June 2001 the Trail and Garden has become a place of pilgrimage for many who have lost family and friends. It is not just a place for remembering the dead but both a journey of hope for the living and is a fitting tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives at sea.