A roadside monument in the little settlement of Sanaigmore, on the NW coast of the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, the Sanaigmore Monument or Exmouth Memorial commemorates the tragedy of the wrecking of the ship the Exmouth on the 28th April 1847, with terrible loss of life. Overlooking Sanaigmore Bay, the monument comprises a rubble-built cairn surrounded by a low wall and was unveiled on the 23rd June 2000 by Daniel Mulhall, Consul General of Ireland. The ship foundered on the rugged coastline to the west during a storm, having left Londonderry in the North of Ireland a few days before. Only three crew-members survived, clinging to rocks overnight, while 241 passengers and crew lost their lives. Many of the bodies were never recovered, but 108 lie buried 1¼ miles (2 km) to the west southwest at Traigh Bhan. Sketches by John Francis Campbell (1821-85), the son of Islay's laird, illustrating the sad task of recovering and burying the bodies of the victims, are held by the National Gallery of Scotland.
The tragedy was made worse because most of the passengers had been poor Irish families escaping famine for a new life in Canada. A plaque on the monument records the events in English and Irish Gaelic:
"This memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 241 Irish emigrants who lost their lives on the 28th April 1847, when the brig 'The Exmouth of Newcastle' out of Derry and bound for Quebec Canada at the time of the great famine, was wrecked on the N/W coast of Islay. 108 bodies, mostly women and children (63 under the age of 14 and 9 infants) were recovered and are buried under the soft green turf of Traigh Bhan. May their souls rest forever in the peace of Christ."
"Tógadh an leacht seo i gcuimhne na 241 deoraí Éireannach a cailleadh ar an 28ú lá d'Aibreán 1847, nuair a briseadh an long 'The Exmouth of Newcastle' ar an toabh thiar thuaidh d'Ile agus í ar a bealach ó Dhoire Cholmcille go Québec Ceanada. Le Linn an Drochshaoil. Fuarthas 108 corpán-mná agus páisté a mbunus (63 acu faci bhun 14 bliana d'aois agus 9 naíonán) - agus cuireadh iad faoi mhachaire glas na trá báine. Mar a luionn slad inniu faoi shuaimhneas agus faoi shíochainbhuan Chríost."
The memorial was funded by the Ireland Fund of Great Britain.
