primary cause of the population decline was immigration. Kinnea's proximity to the sea offered alternative food sources which helped limit the population's dependence on potatoes. Shipwreck A three masted ship ran around in Rockstown bay in October 1860. The crew abandoned the ship before it broke up. Rural unrest in the late 19th century Land ownership in Kinnea and the surrounding valley of Urris was highly contentious, with landlords often issuing eviction notices to tenant farmers. These evictions often led to violent confrontations between the bailiffs and local residents. Evictions of tenants in rent arrears was a relatively frequent occurrence, and efforts to remove people from their homes was met by protest. In January 1881, four local men, named Bernard Toland. Patrick McCanny, Owen Doherty, and Denis McCool, were charged with having engaged in a riot and unlawful assembly. They were also accused of assaulting Thomas Stuart, a Bailiff who had visited Kinnea to serve eviction notices. A crowd of 150 residents confronted Stuart and pelted him with snowballs and sods of turf. The police, who had accompanied Stuart, identified the four men from the assembled crowd. The magistrates took a lenient view of the incident and dismissed the case. Beached Whale In September 1931, a large whale was beached in Rockstown Bay. The whale was sighted for several days, vainly attempting to escape the shallows. Eventually it landed ashore and despite the efforts of local people, the whale died. The whale attracted large crowds from as far away as Londonderry. Second World War In October 1940, a crate containing a bomber plane came ashore in a crate in Rockstown Bay. Three local men, Philip Diver, from Letter, John Devlin from Rockstown and John O'Donnell, from Rockstown found the crate, dismantled parts of the plane and used the wood and other items for construction materials. They were later arrested and charged under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894. They were subsequently found guilty and fined at Carndonagh Court. Binion Head Fishing Disaster On Friday, 17 August 1962, three fishermen from Rockstown drowned when their lobster boat hit submerged rocks and sank in calm seas off Binion Head. The three men were Patrick Doherty (aged 40), John McGilloway (aged 50) and his son, also called John McGilloway (aged 24). Patrick Doherty left behind a wife and five children ranging in age from ten to four years. A fourth man, John Devlin,