Lee Family Disaster 1939: Near-Fatal Tragedy
Cork, 1939: A River Rescue Averted by Sheer Luck and Strong Railings
Cork City, Ireland – In an era when automobiles were still a novelty on teh streets of Cork, a minor traffic incident on a Saturday evening in 1939 drew a crowd of onlookers, eager to witness the spectacle.But what they didn’t know was that they were witnessing a near-tragedy, narrowly averted by a stroke of luck.
On July 1, 1939, a car carrying seven passengers, including three young children, careened off Sullivan’s Quay and crashed into the railings bordering the River Lee. The remarkable colorized photograph, captured by an Echo/Examiner photographer from a rowing boat on the river, immortalizes the scene. Now, thanks to Brian Russell, a descendant of those involved, the full story can be told.
Brian’s grandfather,Michael Russell,was visiting his parents,Michael and Abina Russell,at their home on McCurtain’s Villas,near College Road. He brought along his three sons: Michael,John (Brian’s father,then just four years old),and John’s twin,James. While there, Michael met up with his brothers Jimmy, Johnny, and Gerry.
Jimmy, the owner of the car, was on his way to cross’s, an Austin dealership located at 12 South Mall, to sell it. Johnny and Gerry decided to tag along for the ride. As Michael was living in Needham Place, off Dunbar Street, he and his three sons joined the group, cramming all seven into the vehicle.
As they turned onto Sullivan’s Quay, disaster struck. A horse and trailer, likely belonging to Evan’s Wholesalers, was traveling in the opposite direction. The sight of the car, still a relative rarity in Cork at the time, spooked the horse, causing it to rear up. In an attempt to avoid a collision, Jimmy swerved, the car mounted the footpath, its steering locked, and it crashed into the railings.
The railings, though damaged, proved strong enough to prevent the car and its seven occupants from plunging into the River Lee, which was nine