The wives of two fishermen who drowned when their trawler, Honeydew II, went down off the south coast in early January laid anchor-shaped floral wreaths at a seamen's memorial in Kinsale, Co Cork, yesterday.
Mary Bohan and Polish national Anita Jagla, the wives of skipper Gerard Bohan and his crewman, Tomasz Jagla, were among the hundreds who attended a special ecumenical service in Kinsale at 11am yesterday.
The Kinsale-based Honeydew II went down off Mine Head between Dungarvan and Ardmore some time after 1am on January 11th.
Dunmore East-based Pere Charles fishermen Pat Hennessy, Tom Hennessy, Pat Coady, Billy O'Connor and Andriy Dyrin, who lost their lives in early January when their trawler sank were also remembered at the service.
Honeydew II and the Pere Charles sank off the south coast within hours of each other last January in unrelated incidents.
Speaking at the 16th annual Sea Sunday service at St Multose Church in Kinsale yesterday, Canon David Williams said the families of the two vessels had suffered a "terrible tragedy". He told the packed church that the fishermen's home towns were united in their support for the relatives.
Meanwhile, Rev Frank McAleese said it was understandable that those who had suffered such a loss would be "perplexed and bewildered". He said that when one is plunged in to an "abyss of despair" God could seem very distant. However, he insisted it was important to hang on to our faith, even in times of crisis.
The special service was attended by representatives of the RNLI, the Naval Service, the Irish Coast Guard, the South and Western Fishermen's Organisation, the Merchant Navy Association, An Garda Síochána and the Air Corps.
The service was followed by a ceremony on the pier with the blessing of boats and laying of wreaths by Ms Jagla, Ms Bohan and chairman of the Harbour Commissioners Eamon O'Neill.
Mr Bohan is survived by his wife Mary and the couple's four children who range in age from six to 18.
The Bohans attended alongside Ms Jagla. Her husband, a father of two, had lived in Kinsale for just over a year.