Irish message in a bottle washes up on New Jersey beach, lucky finders search for writer

An Irish message in a bottle has recently been found on a New Jersey beach, and the lucky finders are now on a mission to connect with the writer of the letter.

Frank Bolger told IrishCentral on Tuesday that he discovered the Irish message in a bottle on 14th Street beach in Wildwood, New Jersey last Thursday morning, August 17.

Bolger said he was picking up trash on the beach with his wife Karen and granddaughter Autumn when they made the incredible discovery.

"We found the bottle in some seaweed right at the water's edge," Bolger said, noting that they originally thought the bottle was just trash. 

"We had to take it home to get note out it was jammed in the bottle so tightly," he said.

The note, which appears to be in great condition after its transatlantic journey, says: "Greetings from Ireland.

"I have thrown this bottle into the sea for someone to find another day.

"Maybe it's traveled down to Africa or to Iceland!

"I won't know if someone found this, but I hope it is found!"

The letter, dated July 17, 2019, is signed simply "Aoife."

In a fateful twist, the Irish message in a bottle landed in North Wildwood which, as Bolger pointed out, "has a huge Irish American population." 

Though Bolger has never visited Ireland (yet), he does have some Irish roots - his family came to the US from Ireland in the mid-1800s.

Acknowledging it's a "long shot," Bolger reached out to IrishCentral on Tuesday in hopes of connecting with the letter's writer as they're keen to let Aoife know that her bottle was found and show her just how far it traveled.

If you're Aoife, or you know the Aoife who wrote this well-traveled Irish message in a bottle, you can reach out to Bolger via email at etchedinstyle [@] yahoo.com.

Meanwhile, the discovery of the Irish message in a bottle was shared on social media by The Wildwood Sun by the Sea Magazine where, not surprisingly, the story has gone viral.