The Lough Swilly Ghost

The Lough Swilly Ghost story is one that is seldom spoken of, perhaps because the ‘Suile’ from the gaelic meaning ‘Lake of Shadows’ has claimed so many lives. One of the victims of drowning went sailing with another young man on a bright autumn day.

A sudden squall pushed their boat off course and it capsized when it struck the rocks which are visible at low tide from Buncrana beach. They managed to cling to the rocks but once the tide started to come in they knew that they were in grave danger. One of them who was a strong swimmer decided that he would try to swim to shore while the other one shouted as loud as he could until he was too exhausted to shout anymore.

The swimmer perished but someone heard the shouts and ran to one of the men who operated an unofficial lifeboat. It was a brute of a thing which took four men to manage it. None of the other men were available so the boatman, at great danger to himself, set out, in the waning storm to rescue the boy on the rocks. Somehow he managed to save the boy who was returned safely to his father.

When the mother of the other boy realised that her son had probably perished she walked the shore weeping and wailing for him until his body was finally pulled from the sea.

Some say that on a stormy night shouts and crying can be heard on that stretch of shore and that a faint glow can be seen at the location of the rocks.