A very rare sight in the Republic of Ireland is a memorial that honours the memory of seven crewmen who lost their lives aboard a Halifax Bomber while attempting a crash landing in November 1943. The crew were on a training exercise when their plane blew off course from Yorkshire and they eventually found themselves over the west of Ireland. They circled a small turlough lake at Lavally near Tuam to get rid of excess fuel before attempting to land on water. Unfortunately the plane hit a hillock while approaching the lake. The memorial was erected in 2007 by the Old Tuam Society & Lavally Memorial Committee. A good starting point to gain more insight into this event is Link (Archive Link )