Last
week’s story of the heroic voyage of a French Quebec family who sailed around
the world to Sligo in search of their roots has prompted several calls to our
office.
Charles,
Daphne and Charlene Kavanagh from Mignan landed in Rosses Point after a 15,000
mile voyage across the ocean.
Bishop
Thomas Finnegan, a former principal and English teacher in Summerhill College,
said their voyage evoked memories of a ship called Carrick of White Haven which
sailed from Sligo in early 1847.
The
bishop spoke to the Kavanagh’s whose ancestor Patrick Kavnagh is believed to
have sailed on the Carrick of White Haven which perished off the coast of French
Quebec.
Thomas
believes that Patrick Kavanagh could have been one of the survivors who were
rescued off Gaspesie Coast.
He
refers to the incident in his book ‘Sligo Sinbad’s Yellow Shore’.
“In
all 187 people were lost and the survivors settled at Cap-de-Roisiers where
outside comfortable homesteads in this French-Canadian village, you can see
letter-boxes bearing names like Cavanagh, Dunne and O’Connor.
“It
is a marvellous story and they showed a lot of courage and character to come all
the way over the Ocean in search of their people.
Meanwhile
Rosses Point yachtsman Colm Ridge said that the Kavanagh’s were now sailing
back to Canada via Ballycastle in county Antrim.
“This
was an incredible journey they made in a very small boat and they endured some
horrific conditions.
“The
Irish all over the world have a special bond with their native place and the
Kavanaghs havbe certainly touched a lot of people here.
“I
don’t think they managed to trace any of their relatives on this occasion but
Charles Kavanagh is comign back in two years.
“Maybe
he’ll have more time to check out his relations on that occasion”.
The
Kavanagh’s are currently on the broad Atlantic somewhere off the north west
coast of Donegal en route back to Quebec.
Au
revoir until we next see them coming around the Metal Man.