The ghost of a black Newfoundland dog has been seen many times at the
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, sitting at the base of a memorial statue to Captain John McNeill
Boyd who was lost in February, 1861 while attempting to rescue drowning
seamen at Dun Laoghaire. The apparition is said to be that of Captain
Boyd's devoted dog which has also been seen many times lying on his
master's grave at nearby Glasnevin Cemetery.
On the night of Saturday 8th February, 1861, the Irish Sea was swept by
one of the worst gales of the century. The harbour at Kingstown, now Dun
Laoghaire, was littered with debris and the wreckage of battered
vessels. Scores of bodies of drowned people were found on the
shoreline. Among those who helped to recover the bodies and clear the
wreckage was Captain Boyd, in command of the coastguard vessel Ajax.
Three stricken vessels, the Neptune, the Industry and the Mary, were
trying to get to the shelter of the harbour. The Neptune and the
Industry were to be smashed against the rocks whilst the Mary was
wrecked further along the coast at Sandymount. Captain Boyd and some of
his men were on the rocks trying to rescue the men from the stricken
vessels. Together with three of his men he was swept into the sea by a
giant wave. When a lifeboat from the Ajax later went to search for
Captain Boyd and the three other men, his faithful Newfoundland dog was
in the rescue boat.
When the body of Captain Boyd was finally recovered it was brought
ashore and he was given one of the biggest funerals ever seen in Dublin.
During the funeral procession his faithful dog walked beside the coffin
and followed it to Glasnevin Cemetery where Captain Boyd was interred.
When the grave was filled in, the dog, so devoted to his master, lay on
top and refused to be moved, eventually dying of hunger. Shortly
afterwards the memorial statue to Captain Boyd was erected in the
Cathedral by the people of Dublin.
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