AN RTÉ radio documentary has recalled a story from 1967 which made the headlines after a coffin was transported from Shannon Airport to Inis Meáin.
Miss Mary Folan emigrated to Boston in 1929 at the age of 18 and had spent most of her life as a nanny for an American family. Although known in Ireland as Mary Folan, she used the surname Foley in America. She died of cancer at the age of 56 and it was her final wish to be buried at home.
Her story was the subject of an RTÉ Documentary on One with a Clare listener contacting producers in 2019 sharing his memories of the April 1967 story which left him intrigued for most of his life.
Cork-born Boston undertaker, Gene Sheehan was tasked with bringing Miss Folan’s remains back to Ireland. He came up with the idea of transferring the coffin from Shannon Airport to the island by helicopter. He said the helicopter arrangements were made to avoid any difficulties involved in the sea crossing to Inis Meáin. As there were no berthing facilities on the island at the time, a transfer by sea would have meant transferring the coffin from a fishing vessel out of Galway to a currach to reach the island, which he said he was reluctant to do at that time of year.
Miss Folan’s death notice which appeared in the Boston Globe newspaper, outlined the unusual arrangements. In Shannon, the helicopter company carried out various tests to carry the cargo, the coffin was to be placed in a sling attached to ropes which were then hooked underneath the helicopter. It was a method of carrying cargo that the helicopter company has not used before.
Out on Inis Meáin the islanders, including Miss Folan’s brother and four sisters, were making preparations and awaiting the arrival of the helicopter. A grave had been dug for the burial and the local priest was preparing for the funeral mass. White blankets held down by stones were laid out in a field beside the church to act as a landing pad.
On attempting to transport Miss Folan’s coffin, the coffin broke away from the sling and fell into a field near a place called, Paradise in Ballynacally. But this was only the start of things to come and more unfortunate incidents were to unfold on a second attempt to transfer the coffin the following day.
In Miss Folan’s Last Wish, Sarah Blake from the Doc on One teamed up with Treasa Bhreathnach from Raidió na Gaeltachta to find those connected to this story, in Ireland and beyond, and reveal what happened that led to these events all of fifty-five years ago. The documentary was first broadcast on Saturday and is now available as a podcast.
