Mary McGovern

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Seems a good night to be thinking of Mary- St. Patrick's Day and all. It's a small world-bumped into friends who know Mary's nephew Philip McGovern and he kindly sent some information along. Some of it I see already posted on the passenger bio section of the board. But here 'tis with a few new bits.
She was from the town of Corlough and left from Cobh hoping for a better life in the States. She was the second oldest of 5 children-her older silbling had already immigrated and lived in New Jersey. She stayed in New York for 4-5 years, went to the hearings and trial and put in a claim for the time spent at the court (which was denied!). She became homesick for Ireland and returned in 1917 and married a man whose last name was McGovern also. Her daughter, Mary McHugh was born in the late 1920's and lives in Ireland. Mary McGovern is buried in the cemetery outside Corlough Chapel-he nephew lives in New York.

 

[Inger Sheil]

Hallo, Shelley - appropriate indeed that we remember the Irish on that day of days (I am currently nursing a chukka-BOOM headache, though I insist seasonal allergies and not last night's pints of Guinness have a hand in it). Some of that information is referred to in Senan's TIAT although not, from memory, the specific date she returned to Ireland.

Know what you mean about the extrordinary fortune you can encounter - five degrees of seperation and all that. I found a group of Lowe's Whitehouse relatives through a friend who lives just outside London - one of the family was a neighbour. Lowe's Australian grandson once related to me with great glee how he found himself on a committee with a bloke who turned out to be a distant relative of Lightoller.

Yours in the wearing of the green (a day late, but sure an' it doesn't matter).

~ Ing

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Shelley,

Where in Ireland is Corlough Chapel? Or is Corlough a town in Ireland?

Best regards,

Jason

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Corlough is in County Cavan (in the northwestern"finger" of the county.) Dowra is the nearest big city. For a nice detail map of Cavan just type Corlough,Ireland in the Internet Search box and you will see the link.

 

[Jason D. Tiller]

Hi Shelley,

Thank you for the information! I'll be sure to look up on the internet.

Best regards,

Jason

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Got a nice note from Mary's nephew who has asked to have this posted-a few more details.
Mary McGovern- date of birth April 1890, Carbally, Corlough. County Cavan, Ireland. Mary was making a trip to New York alone. She travelled by train from Ballinamore. County Leitrim to Cobh, Co. Cork to board the ship. Her ticket cost 7 pounds and her passenger # was 330931. It is believed that she was on one of the last 3 lifeboats to leave approximately 15 minutes before the end. A group of Irish women who stayed together were saved at the same time. Fr. Grogan from St. Vincent's Hospital met the survivors upon their arrival at pier 54 and they were taken in a Gimbles truck to St. Vincent's Hospital. Eight months later Mary filed her first claim for $50 against the Line, later she filed an amended claim for 70$, including the amount of 2 crochet lace collars ($20) which she had gotten from her mother. She stayed in NYC for 8 years, working as a housekeeper then returned to Ireland in 1920 and married Peter McGovern in 1921. Hugh and Mary Kate were their 2 children. Mary died on August 24, 1957. More in the next posting...

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

The local people of Cavan have a firm belief that a little earth from the grave of St. Mogue will , if you carry it on your person, protect you from death by drowning, fire, air or road crash. Mary's mother gave her a little bag of this earth before Mary set out to sail on Titanic. This is the 1952 account Mary gave the local newspaper..
" We left Cobh on Wed. for New York and everything was grand. I was fast asleep in my cabin, a three-tiered affair which I shared with two others from Virginia (an Irish town). We were awakened Sunday night and thrown out of our bunks by the shock of a collision. But we were not at all afraid for everything was silent, the lights burned brightly..in fact, we felt no cause for alarm. But outside our door we heard a rising clamour and when we went out, we found the passages and corridors full of running people. That was about midnight, if I remember right and we went up to the boat deck, pushing our way through lines of linked sailors and some armed men, who were shouting "Women and children first!" Somebody told us to go back for our lifebelts and with difficulty we went back to our cabin, found them over the door, put them on and fought our way back again. We went from lifeboat to lifeboat, all of which seemed packed and which one by one were being lowered down into the water. I knew how near the water was for I had actually seen it washing down the corridor as we went down for our lifebelts. We were shoved into the last of the boats to leave, and had to watch drowning men being beaten with oars to prevent them from overturning the boat we were in, watched the lights go out one by one in the huge ship sliding to her grave on the starlit water...and saw the last long slow death struggle of the pride of Queen's Island...the greatest and newest ship in the world. Next day we were picked up by the Carpathia. I am one out of 712 saved out of a total of 2,201. Sewn in my clothes from the time I left my native Corlough here in Cavan, I had carried a little earth from St. Mogue's grave. I have it still hidden in the rafters of my home.."

 

[Kyrila Scully]

Shelley, did they actually call the town "Cobh" in those days? Was it only the Brits who called it Queenstown? Just wondering.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Good question- I think the Brits were behind the name change to Queenstown. In 1912 articles, I have read both names. Irishmen out there- discuss.

 

[Jim McHugh]

Just watched on Facebook funeral service of Mary-Kate McHugh (Mary McGovern's daughter, called just Mary above). Funeral in St. Patrick's church, Corlough, 20/02/2021.
Jim McHugh.

 

[Maid Phoebe]

Titanic survivorâs daughter remembered as loving mum

A WOMAN whose mother survived the sinking of the R.M.S. Titantic was laid to rest on Saturday.

www.impartialreporter.com