"I was there the day that the Bear of O'Shea,
He fell into a concrete stairs;"

The character referred in the first line came from the fishing port of Castletown Bear Haven more commonly known as Castletownbere. The line should read:

"I was there the day that the 'Bere O'Shea,"

I met one of the man's relations while staying in Castletownbere working on the salvage operation mounted after the tanker "Betelgeuse" blew up alongside at Whiddy Island in January 1979.