Tuam Herald 30th May 1896 p.2(abridged)
On Friday last while Sergeant Feeney of the Kinvarra station was on patrol duty with a party of his men, he noticed an unusual volume of smoke in the direction of Kinvarra Quay, and at once went in that way. He found that a large boat belonging to a man named McDonagh from Connemara, and which had been moored at the quay was on fire. He and his men immediately jumped on board the boat and on entering the hold found two of the boatmen asleep. Having roused the men the entire party proceeded to extinguish the flames. Were it not for timely arrival of the police, the certainty is that the two men would have been burned to death.
The Burren and Beyond 