Margaret Molloy was born on her family farm at Derrinvullig, Rahan, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, on the 5th March 1886, the daughter of Cornelius and Mary Molloy (née Carty or McCarthy). She was the middle of nine known children.
Around 1904, she had left there, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the United States of America, and settled in New York City, where she obtained work as a milliner. Her brother, Michael Molloy, and her cousin, Miss Katherine Flanagan, also worked in New York. In 1915, Margaret Molloy lived at 4329, West Forty-Seventh Street and her brother lived at number 4331!
On 25th April 1915, Michael Molloy received a telegram from his native country stating that their father was dangerously ill and it was decided that Margaret Molloy should return home on the quickest boat available, to be with him. It happened that this was the Lusitania which was scheduled to leave New York at 10.00 a.m. on the 1st May 1915.
Having booked a second cabin passage on this liner, Margaret Molloy arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in the port and boarded the vessel in time for her sailing. She then had to wait until 12.27 p.m. until the liner actually departed. This was because the Lusitania had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Lines ship Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for use as a troop ship at the end of the previous month. Then, six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 within sight of the coast of Ireland and only hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Margaret Molloy was doubtless very happy to see the coast of her native home again, but unfortunately the event did not have a happy outcome for her as she was one of nearly 400 second cabin passengers who perished as a result of this enemy action. As her body was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, she has no known grave. She was aged 29 years at the time.
The tragedy of her death was compounded by the fact that while the Lusitania was part of the way across the Atlantic, on Monday 4th May, her brother received news that their father had passed away in Ireland, so even had Margaret Molloy survived, she would not have been in time to see her father alive!
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, New York Times, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv. PR13/6, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.