Clare link to Titanic disaster

For the past century, people all over the world have been captivated by the story of the Titanic, the ship they thought was unsinkable. As the 100th year anniversary of the disaster approaches, Jessica Quinn spoke to John Bradley of the Irish Titanic Historical Society about how the disaster touched so many people, including three passengers from Clare

MORE than 1,500 people, including Clare men Martin McMahon and Daniel Keane, were lost when the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912 in the north Atlantic Ocean on her maiden voyage to New York, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.
John Bradley from Ennis joined the Irish Titanic Historical Society a number of years ago as he, along with countless others worldwide, was fascinated by the tragic sinking of the massive ship.
“It’s a fascinating story and such an intriguing one. So much has been written about it over the years. There are 130 books written on the Titanic. A fantastic book is Senan Molony’s The Irish Aboard Titanic, which details all of the Irish passengers. There were 17 films made about the disaster, which shows the interest that is out there. It’s a wonderful story but a tragic story. There are so many stories within a story,” he said.
The Titanic carried 2,228 people, of all ages and from all sectors of society. Just 712 of those were saved. The ship was designed by County Down man Thomas Andrews, who went down with the ship. Construction of the massive vessel started in March 1909 and it was successfully launched at Belfast’s famous Harland & Wolff shipyard with 100,000 people in attendance.
The ship was 882 feet long and weighed a gross 45,000 ton, taking two hours and 40 minutes to sink after hitting the iceberg. Research shows that 110 Irish lost their lives on the Titanic, while 54 survived. Outlining the impressive scale of the ship, John explained that of the 15,000 people working in the shipyard, 3,000 worked specifically on Titanic. “It was the biggest floating object at the time,” he said.
Titanic was built to cross the North Atlantic from Southampton to New York and she made two stops en route. The first was at the French port of Cherbourg, where many American passengers boarded to return home from Europe. Queenstown, as Cobh was then known, was the last port of call on the tragic maiden voyage of the great ship.
On April 11, Titanic lifted its anchor at Cork harbour after eight people disembarked and 123 third class, or steerage, passengers boarded the vessel for their journey to the new world. Only 44 of those passengers were saved. Three passengers who boarded in Cobh were 20-year-old Martin McMahon from Cragbrien, Ennis and 18-year-old Mary Agatha Glynn from Slievenore, Killaloe.
Mary was a third-class passenger on the ship and was heading to a new life in Washington DC, where she was due to meet her cousin Mary Courtenay. She was among the lucky ones and was rescued after the vessel struck the iceberg.
On her safe arrival in New York, she was helped by the American Red Cross and the Immigrant Aid Society. After spending time in hospital, she carried on to Washington, where she went on to marry Patrick O’Donoghue and have children. She died in Florida on February 26, 1955 aged 61.
Sadly, Martin McMahon, another third-class passenger, was not so fortunate as he was lost when the ship sank. “He was originally booked onto another ship but that service was withdrawn, tragically for him,” said John.
According to a report in The Clare Journal from April 29, 1912, “A telegram received in Ennis during the week confirmed the worst fears that had been entertained as to the safety of a young man named Martin McMahon, from the Cragbrien district, about five miles from Ennis. It was known that he was a passenger on the ill-fated boat, and though his name did not appear in the list of survivors, it was hoped he might have been rescued but it is now definitely stated he has been lost. He was a fine athletic young man and very popular in his native district. It is said that some West Clare people were on board but our enquiries failed to trace their names and addresses.”
John explained an odd coincidence surrounds the name Martin McMahon. “Two men with the same name from Clare drowned in separate White Star liners three years apart. There is Martin McMahon from Cragbrien, who died on the Titanic but also another Martin McMahon from Tiermaclane died on another ship that was torpedoed in 1915 off Kinsale,” he said.
Also lost in the disaster was Daniel Keane from Gallowshill, Cratloe, one of the few Irish second-class passengers. The 35-year-old was destined for St Louis, Missouri, where he hoped to get a job. Prior to this he had been living in Dublin, working as a tram conductor.
Asked why he believes the story of Titanic has been so enduring, John said, “Nothing has been analysed more. Every passenger on that boat has been written about and followed up on how they survived, or if they survived, and what was the story. What has kept this story alive over the years is the people. There were people from all societies on board the Titanic.
“Of those who survived, all their lives there was always mention that they had been on the Titanic. When they had a story to tell it was listened to and even as they died, their connection to the Titanic was mentioned.
“Everybody on board had a story to tell. For instance, the Strausses, who owned Macy’s in New York, were on the Titanic. Mrs Strauss was on one of the lifeboats but her husband wouldn’t join her because there were so many women and children still to be loaded. He wouldn’t get on and then she got off again, saying that they’d been together for so long that they were going to stay together and they drowned.
“Then there was the captain, Captain Smith, who was over 40 years within the White Star Line and this was to be his final voyage. He was the most senior captain of the White Star Line and he was asked before he left to sum up his career and his life. He said he never lost a passenger, he never had an accident and he summed up his career as uneventful.
“Also, there was one parish in Mayo and 13 people left the parish and boarded the Titanic. Eleven of them were lost. There are a lot of sad stories in this but there are also some good ones with people surviving and going on to lead good lives.”
A year of commemorative events are taking place in Cobh and Belfast to mark the anniversary. John plans to go to Cobh on the very day that the ship left the harbour 100 years ago.
“It will be a very poignant occasion. I also hope to go to Belfast to see the Titanic centre before the year is out,” he said.