Living with the Whiddy Disaster

Living with the Whiddy Disaster presents a vivid and fascinating first-hand account of Ireland?s worst ever maritime disaster ? when 50 people lost their lives in the early morning of January 8, 1979, after a fire broke out aboard the Betelgeuse, a French-owned oil tanker, at the Gulf Oil Terminal in Bantry Bay.

Brian McGee is the last surviving member of the Gulf Oil crew on Whiddy Island on that fateful night. With other colleagues he fought non-stop through the night to prevent the inferno spreading to the 12 oil tanks on the island, which would have had disastrous consequences for the town of Bantry. His bravery and that of his co-workers was recognised at the time and remarked upon in the subsequent Tribunal of Inquiry set up by the government.

Although Brian had his life spared that night, unlike seven other Gulf employees and the crew of the Betelgeuse, the disaster took its toll by sending him into a mental hell that he would have to endure for many years, bringing him close on a number of occasions to suicide. He tells the tale of his recovery after a long battle and how he found the solution in a new-found spirituality and a rediscovery of his faith. He also criticises strongly the findings of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the disaster, which he believes were unjust in their treatment of one particular individual and consequently diverted attention away from those who were really to blame.