MineArchiveAnnagher Pit fireball, 1898
Coal had been coming out of the new Annagher pit for barely a month when, shortly after one o'clock on 29 September 1898, gas ignited sixty metres down and engulfed four miners in a fireball. Three died. Two men who went back down after them were decorated for it, one with the Royal Humane Society's highest award.
| Date | 29 September 1898 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Coalisland Collieries |
| Region | County Tyrone |
| Primary type | Explosion |
| Associated types | Rescue |
| Fatalities | 3 (Francis Girvan (27), who reached the surface conscious but badly burned and died the following day; John Hughes (27), brought up unconscious and taken to the Dungannon Infirmary, who died the following day; and Bryan Murphy (60), who was killed instantly. Francis's father Daniel Girvan, of Lisnastrane, also reached the surface badly burned and survived. The family name appears as both Girvan and Gervin in the two accounts consulted.) |
| Context | During active mining (A gas ignition weeks after a new pit began raising coal.) |
Cause
An ignition of gas in a shaft some sixty metres underground, which engulfed four miners in a fireball.
What happened
The pit at Annagher had been opened in August 1898 by two East Tyrone industrialists, James Corr and John McNally, and to begin with all seemed to be going well — the miners had no concerns about their safety. Shortly after one o'clock on Thursday 29 September, a pocket of firedamp was cut into a seam of coal some sixty metres down and four men were engulfed in the fireball, with no chance of escape. The men on the surface heard the explosion and feared the worst.
The cage came up carrying two of the four: Daniel Girvan of Lisnastrane and his son Francis, both conscious and both badly burned. They did not wait for medical attention but went home and sent for the local doctor. Bryan Murphy and John Hughes were still below.
Rescue & recovery
Francis O'Neill of Annagher had been above ground when the gas ignited. He tried three times to get down the pit and was driven back by the gas each time; on the fourth attempt he reached the bottom of the shaft, found John Hughes and brought him up unconscious, and Hughes was taken by carriage to the Dungannon Infirmary. O'Neill went down again and was again almost overcome by the fumes, and the rescue had to be suspended until the shaft was safe. Bryan Murphy was finally brought up at four in the afternoon by O'Neill with the help of Thomas McKenna of Brackaville; he had been killed instantly.
The Royal Humane Society recognised both men. McKenna, a miner, received a bronze medal — recorded in the Society's Acts of Gallantry as case 29817, 'On the 29th September 1898, at Annagher Pit, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone' — and O'Neill received the Stanhope Gold Medal, awarded once a year for the greatest act of gallantry in the Society's records.
Investigation & inquiry
Daniel Girvan recovered and gave evidence at the inquest into the deaths of his son and the two other men. The inquest found no one culpable. The coroner singled out Francis O'Neill and Thomas McKenna for their heroism, and condemned the medical response in strong terms: four doctors were asked to help, and it was hours before Francis Girvan, in terrible pain, received any medical attention at all. He was taken to the infirmary and died there.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Gas ignited in a shaft about sixty metres underground shortly after 1 p.m. on 29 September 1898, engulfing four miners in a fireball. 1
- Francis Gervin (27) reached the surface badly burned and died later; Bryan Murphy (60) and John Hughes (27) were found dead in the mine. 1
- Thomas McKenna and Francis O'Neill made repeated attempts to reach the trapped men and were recognised by the Royal Humane Society — McKenna with a bronze gallantry award and O'Neill with the Stanhope Gold Medal, its highest honour. 1
- Francis O'Neill was driven back by gas on three attempts to descend the pit and reached the bottom of the shaft on the fourth, bringing John Hughes up unconscious; after a further descent in which he was almost overcome, Bryan Murphy was brought up at four in the afternoon with the help of Thomas McKenna of Brackaville, already dead. 2
- The Royal Humane Society's Acts of Gallantry records Thomas McKenna, miner, case 29817, for the 29th September 1898 at Annagher Pit, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone, cross-referenced to the Stanhope Gold Medal for 1898 awarded to Francis O'Neill. 2,3
- The inquest, at which Daniel Girvan gave evidence, found no one culpable for the three deaths; the coroner singled out O'Neill and McKenna for their heroism and strongly condemned the medical response, four doctors having been asked for help before Francis Girvan received any attention hours later. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Cage (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…men on the surface heard the explosion and feared the worst. The cage came up carrying two of the four: Daniel Girvan of Lisnastrane and…” - Coal (contextual relationship)
Annagher had been raising coal for barely a month when the gas ignited — a brand-new Tyrone pit, in a coalfield small enough that its working life is measured in weeks here. - Firedamp (direct cause)
Gas accumulated and ignited some sixty metres down the shaft. - Shaft (contextual relationship)
The ignition happened in the shaft itself, about sixty metres down, which is why four men working in it were caught together by the fireball.
Sources
- (primary) Digging Deep: A History of the East Tyrone Coalfields — Lough Neagh Partnership
- (secondary) The Story of Coal Mining in Coalisland & District — resource notes — Lough Neagh Partnership
- (secondary) Royal Humane Society bronze medals, 1898: Thomas McKenna, miner, case 29817 — Annagher Pit, Coalisland, Co. Tyrone, 29 September 1898 — Transcription of the Royal Humane Society's Acts of Gallantry
Record created: 24 August 2026 · Last researched: 5 September 2026