The Sligo Champion
Saturday, December 23, 1916

The SS Liverpool
Lost Through Striking a Mine
Sligo Men Victims

Consternation deep and widespread prevailed in Sligo on Thursday when it became known that the SS Liverpool, one of the Sligo Steam Navigation Company’s boats had been lost, and that three Sligomen had been victims of the sad occurrence.

The first intimation was a wire which the Company received and later, the particulars of the catastrophe were made known.

It appears the Liverpool left Liverpool on Tuesday laden with an extremely large quantity of all classes of merchandise — the largest for a considerable period in consequence of the Christmas trade. There were not only large consignments of goods for Sligo but for various towns all over the West of Ireland.

According to the particulars to hand, everything went well for about 12 hours after leaving Liverpool, when the steamer struck a mine. Two of the crew, Daniel Garvey and J. Costello and a passenger, J. P. Gillen, of Rosses Point, were killed. Garvey, who was a donkey engine man on the boat, was a native of Fiuisklin, and Costello was a native of the Riverside. Both men leave wives and families to mourn their loss. Gillen was coming home for the Christmas holidays.

The sad occurrence has cast a gloom over the town. The tragic affair is rendered doubly sad by the deaths which are recorded. Had there been no deaths the affair would have been sad enough and a serious loss to Sligo.

Coming as it does within a few days of Christmas, it deals a bad blow not only to the Company, the merchants for whom the steamer was carrying goods, but to the quay labourers, many of whom were awaiting the discharge of the boat in order to secure their Christmas dinner. The whole affair is tragic in the extreme, and the sympathy of everyone goes out to the Company on the loss they have sustained, but particularly to the unfortunate families who have lost their breadwinners and whose Christmas has been made one of deep sorrow and gloom.

Travel forward in time to Wednesday, August 20, 1997