TRAWLER SINKING:SCENES OF palpable anguish marked the fifth day since the sinking of the Tit Bonhomme, one for each life lost.
The swirling waters at Adam Island gave back two of those lost, one each for the Irish and Egyptian communities.
The morning’s dramatic events brought two of the missing fishermen back to the pier at Union Hall in quick succession. Three families still bear a great burden, which weighs all the heavier for seeing others reunited with their loved ones.
Kevin Kershaw, the youngest on board, bore a poppy bruise on his face. Patrick Kershaw’s relief at having his son recovered was tinged with guilt for those still waiting. He remained at the pier yesterday as a mark of solidarity.
“I was praying hard last night to have him back and today was a mix of being happy to have him home and sadness of the tragedy. But I feel guilty. I’ve expressed that to the Hayes family and they were understanding. They told me, you need to go now and grieve.”
Tears flowed freely as Kevin’s mother, Margaret, rested her arms and sobbed on the hearse that carried her son’s body, her deep cries echoing across the pier. Earlier, a grave silence had descended as her audible distress emanated from the makeshift morgue. She had identified her eldest son.
There was great healing in the expression of emotions, Fr Michael Curran said, as grown men stood in a line behind the body of Attea Shaban (26), the first fisherman to be recovered. They held their open palms skyward and wept. The power of Muslim prayer opened the floodgates for both communities. As the hearse paused on the pier, a great despair ascended from those respectfully assembled.
Shaban’s best friend, Mohammed Youssef (30), had been praying for his return. Clutching a copy of his friend’s work permits and passport, he said they laughed often, working on the trawler that foundered.
“He loved fishing, he loved the water, he was happy in life,” he said. “This is a difficult process, but we are happy now to have his body to send it back to his family in Egypt.”
Spiritual leader Morad Gharib said they hoped their friend had reached a better place. “It’s meant to be that he came out of the water first, he is the only one with no immediate family here. We just hope that nobody leaves here today disappointed.”
Caitlín Hayes, wife of missing skipper Michael Hayes, bowed her head and cried at the end of a particularly exhausting day, as closing prayers were offered in Irish, English and Arabic for the three still lost at sea.