Edmond Ireton was born in Lassana, Clooney, County Clare, Ireland, on the 24th January 1879, the son of Henry and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Ireton (née Cahill). He was baptized in the local Catholic Church on the 24th January; therefore it is likely that he was born on that date, or a few days beforehand. The family home was at Lassana, Quin, County Clare. He was a farmer, as were all members of his family, and he sometimes went by the forename ‘Edward’, or even ‘Edmund’.
In February 1914, he had sailed from Queenstown to New York City, in the United States of America, on board the
Oceanic, hoping to find work. However, by the spring of 1915, he had decided to return home – whether as a result of homesickness, or perhaps to enlist in the British Army. Consequently, he booked as a third class passenger on the sailing of the
Lusitania which was supposed to leave New York on the morning of 1st May 1915.
In the event, however, the morning sailing was delayed and Edmond Ireton got his last glimpse of New York harbour as the liner left there for her final Atlantic crossing just after mid-day! Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May and in sight of the coast of southern Ireland, Ireton lost his life after the vessel was torpedoed! He was aged 36 years.
At first, his family in Quin was given false hope that he was safe, as a list of the survivors published in the national press included his name, but tragically, this proved not to be the case and as nothing was heard of him, his brother Henry Ireton appealed for news of him in the Queenstown and district press. In The Cork Examiner for Saturday 15th May 1915, under the title
INFORMATION WANTED, the following advertisement appeared over a photograph him: -
EDMOND IRETON
Passenger on the Lusitania, whose name appeared on the Daily Papers as being amongst the survivors, has not yet been heard of. Height, 5ft. 11ins, fair moustache, brown eyes. Any information will be thankfully received by his brother, Henry Ireton, Lassana, Quinn (sic.), Co. Clare.
Despite the appeal, no sign of Edmond Ireton was ever seen or heard of again and as a consequence, he has no known grave.
Irish Catholic Parish Registers 1655 – 1915, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, UK Outward passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Cork Examiner, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.