A HANDWRITTEN message in a bottle containing a “tremendous love story” was today discovered on the coast of Ireland.
The glass bottle had been travelling the Atlantic Ocean for 13 years before it was found on the shores of Co Kerry.
The message contained a number and a request to call it[/caption]
The bottle had been at sea for 13 years[/caption]
It was discovered during a beach clean up at Scraggane Bay, in the Magharees, but it originated in Canada.
The wine bottle was from a couple who had stuffed a message inside during a date on Bell Island.
The island is a popular beauty spot in the eastern region of Labrador and Newfoundland.
And the note was dated from 2012, meaning it had been at sea for well over a decade.
It would have travelled over 3,000 kilometres to reach the shores of Kerry.
At the time of setting off, Democrat Barack Obama was the President of the United States.
In the time the bottle was at sea, Obama was replaced by Donald Trump, who was preceded by Joe Biden, who was replaced by Trump once again earlier this year.
And during the 13 years, the world saw a global Covid-19 pandemic, the breakout of a war between Russia and Ukraine, and multiple conflicts in the Middle East.
Meanwhile in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was replaced by Justin Trudeau, who was subsequently replaced by Mark Carney in 2025.
The hand written message on the letter inside the bottle reads: “Anita and Brad’s day trip to Bell Island. Today, we enjoyed dinner, this bottle of wine and each other, at the edge of the island.”
‘PLEASE CALL US’
It adds, “if found please call us on” followed by a phone number.
Kate and John Gay, a Co Kerry couple, found the bottle during a beach clean up yesterday.
They opened it at a meeting held yesterday evening alongside Creative Ireland Project Maharees Heritage and Conservation group members.
The group followed the instructions on the letter and rang the number provided.
‘TREMENDOUS STORY’
It had been 4,680 days since the message had been sent.
And Kate said those who made the phone call were praying for a happy ending to Brad and Anita’s love story.
Although the phone rang multiple times, there was no answer, at which point the group sent out a Facebook post encouraging anyone who knew Brad or Anita to get in touch.
However, late last night, Anita got in touch after hearing about the story from her connections in Co Mayo.
And she confirmed that she and Brad got married in 2016 and are still together.
The couple are now living happily in Newfoundland, with the Maharees Conservation Association calling it “a tremendous story”.
The wine bottle came from Bell Island in Canada[/caption]
