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Cork man who tended graves of Air India 1985 terror victims honoured by Indian community
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A Cork man has been honoured by the Indian community for tending to the graves, for 40 years, of the only two victims of the Air India disaster to be buried in Ireland following the terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 329 people off the Irish coast in 1985.
Finbarr Archer was described as “a light of kindness in Ireland” at a presentation by the Cork Sarbojonin Durgotsab (CSD) for his work tending the graves of Annu and Rena Alexandra who died in the tragedy.
Mr Archer, who now works as the official driver to the Lord Mayor of Cork, was working with O’Sullivans Undertakers in Cork in 1985 and was tasked with documenting the details of the 132 bodies that were recovered from the sea off the southwest coast.
When he discovered that there was no one to claim the bodies of Annu Alexandra and her young daughter, Rena, as her husband and son also perished in the bomb attack, Mr Archer arranged for their bodies to be buried together in a single grave at St Michael’s Cemetery in Blackrock, Cork.
Since the burial, for the past 40 years, Mr Archer has tended the grave and organised commemorations each June 23rd to mark the anniversary of the Air India atrocity.
This weekend, he was honoured for his work by the Indian community in Cork as part of their Hindu Durga Puja celebrations.
The CSD, a group that celebrates members of the Indian community in Cork, held a special ceremony on Saturday in which they presented Mr Archer with its first ever Shamrock Lotus Award.
Speaking at the presentation, Nivedita Basu, of CSD, said: “Today we salute and are honoured to recognise Finbarr Archer, whose gentle care and remembrance for the family of Annu Alexander, lost in the Air India Flight 182 tragedy for four decades, have been a light of kindness in Ireland.
[ Cathy Dillon: A reporter remembers the Air India Disaster of June 23rd, 1985Opens in new window ]
“This award recognises Finbarr’s decades-long devotion in caring for the grave of an Indian mother and daughter lost in the Air India Flight 182 tragedy, reflecting unwavering dedication, compassion, and humanity that inspire our entire Indian community.
“With no family here to take Annu and her little daughter, Rena, Finbarr stepped forward and gave them a resting place in Blackrock and for 40 years he has cared for the grave, holding memorials and keeping their memory alive so even though far from home, they are never forgotten.
“His actions embody the spirit of selfless service, community bonding and the profound impact one individual can have in honouring others. May this award, uniting the shamrock of Ireland and the lotus of India, forever remind us that kindness knows no borders and remembrance has no end.”
Accepting the award from Cllr Dan Boyle, deputising for Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, Mr Archer said he was deeply humbled by the honour but all he was endeavouring to do was ensure that Annu and Rena and their other family members lost in Air India would not be forgotten.
“It’s deeply humbling and a great honour to be here and to remember Rena and her mother, Alexander – it’s something that I’ve done since they were buried in Blackrock – every year the emergency services involved in Air India gather to remember them so they will never be forgotten.
“They may rest now far from India, but they are not far from home, they are with us, and they are with the people of Cork and with the Indian community – I would like to thank too all the emergency service personnel who come every year for the memorial to remember Annu and Rena.”
