Honoria “Hannah” Cunniff was born in Aughamore, Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland in 1885.
In April 1906, she had immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, in the United States of America, where she obtained employment as a cook in the home of Dr. J. Richard Kevin, 252. Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, New York City. She sailed to New York on board the
Teutonic, and was to join her sister, Delia, who was employed by Dr. Kevin and his family at that time.
In the spring of 1915, however, she decided to return to Ireland and consequently booked a third class passenger’s ticket for herself on the
Lusitania, which left the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York, on 1st May 1915. She was accompanied by her cousin, Delia Kilkenny, who was from the same locality as her in Ireland, and who was residing in Boston. Delia’s father was ill in Ireland, and she was going over to visit him.
Six days later, after the liner was torpedoed off the coast of her native land, Hannah Cunniff was dead. She had been about to get into a lifeboat with Delia Kilkenny, when she decided to try and return to her cabin to obtain some possessions. It is not known if she ever succeeded in reaching her cabin, as no trace of her was seen again. As her body was never found and identified afterwards, she has no known grave. She was aged 30 years.
Her cousin, Delia Kilkenny, survived however, and made her was back to her native Ballyhaunis, where she no doubt informed Hannah’s family of her demise.
Some time later, a Michael Cunniff, presumably a relative of Hannah’s, applied for financial assistance from the Lusitania Relief Fund in Liverpool. He described himself as part dependant on Hannah, and eventually was awarded the sum of £1-0s-0d.
1910 U.S. Federal Census, Cunard Records, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Connaught Telegraph, Mayo News, Cork Free Press, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv D92/2/11, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.