Article Updated: 5.30pm
An exciting discovery has been made in the tale of a Donegal lad who found a mysterious message in a bottle and is on a mission to send a message back!
Michael Gallagher was on the Rutland Island Back Strand on Thursday evening when he spotted a bottle in the sand.
The curious 12-year-old noticed a letter inside, wrapped in cling film.
After very carefully extracting it, he discovered the letter hadn’t travelled too far. It appears to have been written by a group of visitors on Inishfree, just a few kilometres off the coast.
The condition of the paper and the style of the bottle (pictured below) suggested the message could have been tossed out to sea many years ago.
Rosemary hoped that through the power of social media, Michael could find out who wrote the letter and, more importantly, what year.
“It’s not something we’ve never experienced before,” said Rosemary.
UPDATE: Hours after it was first reported on Donegal Daily, new information shows the bottle was thrown out to sea almost 40 years ago!
Thanks to Caroline Currid, Rosemary and Michael have learned that a group of friends were staying up on Inishfree in 1986 and were stuck on the island for 5 days due to bad weather.
“Michael is delighted with his find and that he can have his own wee story to tell about his memories of Rutland in years to come.”
It’s hoped that Michael can soon connect with the authors and hear their story and the reasons behind the message in a bottle.
If you can help, please contact Rosemary through the Arranmore Red Ferry Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/arranmoreferryservice
Michael Gallagher with his message in a bottle discovery
The contents of the letter inside the bottle. Some of the discernible names on the letter are Ruth, Helen O’Sullivan, Guillaume, Livo and Spratt.
The heavy duty plastic bottle which contained the message
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