On February 14th 2002 at 3.40am, the Tullaghmurary Lass set sail from Kilkeel Harbour, Co. Down for a day fishing trip with three people on board. Within approximately two to three hours the ship sank with the loss of three generations of the one family, Michael Greene (54), his son Michael (33) and his grandson, also called Michael (8).

For this documentary Documentary on One, Rachel Andrews returns to the scene of a fishing tragedy that devastated the small town of Kilkeel, in Co Down.

The three Michaels - father, son and grandson - had gone out to fish for prawns, and for a last trip on a boat they were due to decommission the next day. At sea, a tragic accident claimed all three of their lives, but it was eight and a half weeks before divers were able to recover their bodies, and their grieving family was able to put them to rest.

This documentary traces the childhood of each family member. It remembers the good times - Christmas, weddings, and Valentine's Day - as well as the bad times. It looks at how the Greene family coped with a seemingly interminable wait while rescuers searched for the sunken trawler and for the bodies of the three men, and at the devastation when those bodies - wrapped in body bags - finally arrived on the harbour shore.

How does a family deal with such pain? Lynette Cunningham, sister, aunt and daughter, says it is not easy, and that faith, prayer, community and family support have helped her and her family through the ordeal. Lynette remembers her father, brother and nephew, and the dangers of the sea that took their lives.

A documentary that acknowledges the pain of grief, the joy of memories, the solace of prayer, 'Tullaghmurray Lass' also pays respect to a fishing community that has had to cope with many tragedies, and to family members who been brave and strong in the face of the most immense pain.

Compiled by Rachel Andrews

Produced by Liam O'Brien

First broadcast March 2005.

An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries