From the archives: death of the King of Mayo's Glass Island
By Tom Gillespie
IN early January 1952, The Connaught Telegraph carried an obituary on Mr. Pat Barrett, who was known as the ‘King of Glass Island’, a well-known landmark on Lough Conn.
The article read: The passing of the late Mr. Pat Barrett, which took place suddenly in the early hours of Thursday, removes one of the best-known personalities in the vicinity of that well-known angling haunt and one of the most colourful figures in Mayo’s inland angling circles.
Aged 71 years, the deceased, who was the oldest man on the famous Glass Island, situated in the centre of Lough Conn, was recognised as King of the Island by its inhabitants and the general public for many years past, and during all that time he played the role of a king with distinction and there was no more popular personage in that area.
The end of the famous ruler of 90-acre Glass Island came tragically and at the same time gallantly in the early hours of Thursday morning last, after he had spent several hours alone in a boat battling against a gale of terrific velocity and mountainous waves and successfully landed on the shore of the island about 500 yards from his normal landing place.
The circumstances of his death, writes our correspondent, are that on St. Stephen’s Day the deceased left the mainland in his boat to return to the island at about six o’clock in the evening.
When he had gone some considerable distance from the shore, the destructive storm of St. Stephen’s night, 1951 - that will be long remembered - broke, and he was left at the mercy of the waves in a single-handed battle in a vast expanse of water, endeavouring to reach the island - his kingdom.
How long the struggle lasted as ‘Pat’ fought the storm and waves is unknown, but the fact that he successfully landed on the island many hours after he set out shows the able boatman he was and justifies the high reputation as a boatman he enjoyed during the past half century.
It is believed that he landed on the island in the early hours of Thursday morning. He safely secured his boat and, after walking along the rugged shore for about 400 yards, he collapsed and died within 100 yards from his home.
The tragic discovery of his body was made on Thursday morning, and Tom and Pat Madden immediately braved the fierce gale that was blowing and hastened to the mainland for a priest and doctor, but after arriving on the mainland they were stranded owing to the storm being still raging, and were unable to return to the island for over 12 hours.
As the shades of darkness were slowly setting in on Friday afternoon, touching scenes were witnessed as a number of boats occupied by friends and relatives of the deceased conveyed his remains across the lake to the Knockmore shore.
The journey across was a sad and silent one, and nothing could be heard except the sound of the oars in the water and the sound of the still unsettled waters breaking on the rocks after the 24 hours rage.
When the funeral party arrived at Knockmore shore they were joined by a large crowd of relatives, friends and sympathisers, and with that the famous King bade farewell for all time to Glass Island, and the funeral cortege, which continued to grow in dimensions, moved slowly and sadly to Knockmore parish church.
On Saturday morning the residents of all the villages in that area paid a last and fitting tribute to the deceased, who was esteemed and respected by everyone, as they took part in the funeral to Cloghans Cemetery.
As the deceased had been undergoing medical treatment an inquest was not deemed necessary, and it is believed that he died from heart failure as a result of the strain of the battle which he fought against the storm.
An outstanding figure in angling circles, the deceased enjoyed an unusually high reputation as a boatman among anglers from all corners of the country and the British Isles, and he will be long remembered for the part he played in arranging boats for all angling competitions held on Lough Conn during the past half century and for the assistance that was always rendered by him to all fishermen who ventured out on the lake.
He was brother of Mr. Johnnie Barrett, Knockmore, and formerly of the island, who is also a well-known boatman.
Deceased was particularly well-known by all Castlebar anglers, and was a prominent figure at competitions held by the local club on Lough Conn, and his passing has evoked a feeling of deep regret and sorrow.
Glass Island, where 14 families once resided, is now (1952) reduced to two families consisting of seven people, and it is believed that it will not be long until it takes its place amongst the deserted villages in Ireland and becomes a place of historic interest only, as it is understood that one family of five people are making arrangements to take up permanent residence on the mainland, and that will leave only two people remaining - Tom Madden, another well-known and popular boatman, and his mother.
It is expected that they too will eventually take up permanent residence on the mainland.
Glass Island was a noted location for the manufacture of poteen, on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries, and crocks or bottles of the illicit spirit can, it is said, sometimes still be unearthed there.
Glass Island, which was known as ‘Illaunaglashy’ in ancient times, was described in Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Mayo in 1837 as comprising ‘good arable land with a portion of rocky pasture’.
Apart from a number of decaying houses, there are still the remains of a church on the island and the burial place of Bishop Balefadda, who took refuge there during a period of religious persecution.