Is the Canadian Buoy That Washed Up in Mayo Now Eligible for an Irish Passport?

ACHILL ISLAND, Ireland — A 3.5-tonne Canadian Coast Guard buoy that drifted more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic and washed up near Purteen Harbour has begun asking about Irish citizenship, according to a local genealogy office that says it “keeps coming in and blinking at the forms.” Here is what you need to know.

Who is the buoy? A navigation buoy whose owners, according to Mayo County Council, say their buoys are “known to be ‘very friendly’ and occasionally develop a habit of traveling far from home.” The Coast Guard did not say how many others are on a gap year.

Does it qualify? Possibly. Anyone with an Irish-born grandparent can register as a citizen, and the buoy maintains its grandmother was a lobster-pot marker from Killybegs who left for Halifax “for the work.” Citizenship consultant Oonagh Tiderow said paperwork is the snag. “It has a serial number and a light on top, but no birth cert,” Tiderow said. “Mind you, I had a man in from Boston last week with less.”

Where is it staying? The council plans to tow it to Roonagh Pier and keep it in a depot so it can’t drift off, which locals say is what happens to every visiting Canadian: put in the spare room and not let leave until they’ve had their tea.

Is anyone coming to collect it? The council has said that “should the Canadians wish to see their buoy again, they may have to make a special trip to Mayo to collect it.” Two guesthouses are already selling a “Bring Your Buoy Home” weekend with a genealogist.

Reached for comment late Wednesday, the Canadian Coast Guard said it was unaware of any Irish relatives and asked that the buoy please call home, “collect, if it has to.”