A plaque commemorating lives lost at sea and in boating accidents in the vicinity of the Skelligs rocks in south Kerry was erected yesterday in the village of Portmagee.
Some 60 people, including airmen and merchant seamen shot down or torpedoed during the second World War, are among those remembered.
The names and incidents go back to 1853 and include five children from four families from Portmagee who lost their lives while playing in a boatyard in 1857.
The details were researched by local historian John Golden and the project was undertaken by Portmagee Development Group. In 1941 eight German airmen were shot down near the Skelligs, and in 1944 11 US airmedied when the wing of their plane tipped Great Skellig, according to the research.
In addition, the plaque mentions 13 Greek merchant crewmen who died after their boat was sunk by a submarine in 1942. One crew member, an Irishman, survived.
John Murphy, vice-chairman of Portmagee Development Group, said most of those who lost their lives were local fishermen, several leaving young families.
Death and danger were facts of life of being at sea. "There is always danger going to sea," he said.
Declan O'Driscoll's father, John, lost his life in 1995 at the age of 47 in an accident on a fishing trawler. He was 13 at the time and remembers the "massive shock". The community in Portmagee was very supportive.
The plaque was blessed following Mass yesterday and the annual blessing of the boats.
It will form part of a heritage trail in the village, which is linked by bridge to the island of Valentia.