Dr. M. V. McCabe
G.P. & Lifeboat Man

Dr Michael V. McCabe was appointed GP to Dunmore East and Passage East in 1962 and remained in the role until 1968. During those six years, he became a familiar and highly regarded figure in village life, not only as the local doctor but also through his involvement with the lifeboat.

Dr. McCabe originally hailed from Tipperary and had served as a doctor in the Royal Navy, achieving the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant. His wife, Brigid McCabe (née O’Farrell), was a State Registered Nurse originally from Dublin.

During their time in Dunmore, they lived with their four children, Tom, Siobhán, Deirdre and Michael, in the house beside where Azzurro stands today. That particular property changed hands a number of times during the 1960s, with the Shipseys, the Hamms and John Molloy all associated with it at various stages.

Although the McCabe family’s time in Dunmore was relatively short, both Dr. McCabe and his wife grew very fond of the village. The sea held a particular attraction for him. That interest had come from his father, Michael McCabe Snr., a Wexford-born Merchant Navy engineer, and it was perhaps inevitable that living in a fishing village would bring him into close contact with those who made their living from the sea.

Almost as soon as he arrived in Dunmore, Dr. McCabe volunteered with the RNLI. In 1964 he became Honorary Medical Officer to the Dunmore East Lifeboat Station and was involved in a number of rescues during his years in the village. One incident in particular was never forgotten.

On Wednesday, the 11th of March 1964, the Dutch coaster Jan Brons went aground beneath the cliffs at Ardnamult, or Middle Head near Dunmore East in the early hours of the morning, and from the outset it was clear that any rescue would be both difficult and dangerous.

The alarm was raised shortly before four o’clock when distress signals were sent out from the stranded vessel. The Dunmore East lifeboat was launched without delay under Coxswain Patrick Power, while the Irish corvette Maeve, then on fishery patrol in the area, also made for the scene. Other shipping nearby was alerted, and two vessels bound for Waterford responded to the S.O.S.

By the time the lifeboat reached the Jan Brons, the ship was lying hard against the rocks directly beneath the cliff face, with heavy seas breaking over and around her. Conditions made any close approach hazardous, and the lifeboat crew at first attempted to take the men off by boat. The state of the sea soon made that impossible, and another method had to be found.

A breeches buoy was eventually brought into use, and over the course of a long and exhausting operation six members of the crew, including three Spaniards, were taken safely from the stricken ship. At one stage the cable became fouled in the Jan Brons’ propeller after four men had been rescued, and further rockets had to be fired before the operation could continue.

The lifeboat returned to Dunmore East shortly after eight o’clock with the six rescued seamen on board. Cold, exhausted and in need of dry clothing, they were taken to the Ocean Hotel, owned by lifeboat crew member Stanley Power, where they were given a change of clothes and a hot meal.

Three officers had chosen to remain aboard Jan Brons: the skipper, Captain W. T. Klooster, the first engineer, A. de Bea, and the mate, D. Panven. They declined to leave with the others, intending to remain with the vessel until the arrival of a Dutch salvage tug.

As the hours passed, however, their position became increasingly precarious. At about half past six on Wednesday evening, one of the officers finally came ashore by climbing the 200-foot cliff on a rope ladder provided by the Dunmore life-saving service. Then, at about half past two on Thursday morning, the captain and mate made the same dangerous ascent to safety.

Arthur Westcott-Pitt, secretary of the lifeboat station and himself aboard during the rescue, later described the operation as an exceptionally difficult one. It had taken around four hours to get the six men clear of the vessel, and the heavy seas had frustrated the crew’s first attempts to bring them off directly by boat.

For that service, Coxswain Paddy “Billy” Power, Second Coxswain Stephen Whittle and Assistant Mechanic John Power received RNLI Bronze Medals. Dr. McCabe was one of seven others aboard who received a Medal Service Certificate, alongside Richard Murphy, Stanley Power, Captain Cecil. H. Hazell, William Westcott-Pitt, Sir Brian Warren and Arthur Westcott-Pitt.

That certificate has survived the years and is still proudly retained by his son Tom. It is a reminder not only of one dramatic night off the Dunmore coast, but also of the part he played as the village doctor in the wider life of the community.

"Personally, I can still remember Dr McCabe’s name from my childhood, although my memories of him are naturally those of a young boy rather than a patient carefully assessing the quality of medical care.

I am fairly sure it was Dr McCabe who diagnosed me with measles on one occasion. This was unfortunate from a medical point of view, of course, but there was compensation. It meant a couple of weeks off school, which took quite a bit of the sting out of the illness.

Doctors in those days thought nothing of making house calls. Looking back now, it almost seems remarkable that such a service ever existed. You could send word that someone was unwell and, before very long, the doctor would be at the door with his bag and thermometer.

I remember Dr McCabe arriving at our house and checking my temperature, presumably to establish whether I was suffering from measles or about to boil over. Whatever treatment he prescribed must have worked well. I can’t recall ever having to see another doctor for any medical reason since, so perhaps Dr McCabe did an exceptionally thorough job." 

For the McCabe family, Dunmore East was only one chapter in their lives, but for the people who lived here during those years, Dr. Michael V. McCabe was very much part of the village. He cared for its families on land and volunteered to help those in trouble at sea.

More than sixty years later, his name is still remembered, and the certificate from the Jan Brons rescue remains a small but important record of his years in Dunmore East.

His photograph hangs on the wall of the Lifeboat House in Dunmore, alongside those of many of the other heroes associated with the station over the years. The photo above shows his son Tom, himself a well-known rugby and GAA hero, standing beneath his father’s picture during a recent visit to the village.

I’m sure the McCabe family’s time in Dunmore was not all high drama, high seas and high temperatures. There must also have been many quieter hours spent taking in the scenery, walking around the village and listening to the sound of the sea. The old postcard above, which Tom has kept carefully mounted, perhaps serves as a reminder of those more peaceful days and of a period in the family’s life that still holds a special place in their memories.

It seems a fitting way to remember Dr. McCabe’s time, not only as the village doctor who answered the call when lives were in danger, but also as a husband, father and member of the Dunmore community during a memorable few years in the 1960s.