Martin Geraghty was born in Shannon Harbour, King’s County, now known as County Offaly, Ireland, on the 1st May 1877, the son of John and Ellen Geraghty (née Donnelly). His father was a labourer and the village he was born and grew up in, Shannon Harbour, was built on the Grand Canal in 1830, close to where it meets the River Shannon, as a trans-shipping centre for cargo barges transporting goods throughout Ireland. Martin was the youngest of five known children in the family.
After completing his education, Martin Geraghty became a labourer and moved to Dublin city where he became a van driver. On the 23rd August 1899, he married Christina Fanning at St. Michan’s Church, Dublin, and by 1915, the couple lived at 3. New Lisburn Street, Dublin. They had six children.
Martin’s brother, William, was living and working in New York, and in July 1910, Martin went to do likewise. It is unknown what employment he found there, but by the spring of 1915, he had decided to return home to his family in Dublin, and rather than pay his passage, he decided to seek employment on a trans-Atlantic liner.
He engaged as an assistant butcher in the Stewards' Department on board the Lusitania, at New York on the 30th April 1915, at a monthly wage of £4-10s.-0d. (£4.50). It was to prove a tragic decision for him, as he was killed in the sinking, exactly one week later! He was aged 38 years.
His body was never recovered and identified afterwards, and as a consequence, his name is embossed on the Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill, London.
The records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission show his rank to have been that of waiter, but the crew list compiled by Cunard at the time of the ship's last voyage and published in March 1916, shows him to have been an assistant butcher. This is likely to be the more reliable source.
In August 1915, Martin Geraghty was officially discharged from the last voyage of the Lusitania and his widow was paid the balance of wages owed to him, in respect of his service on board the Lusitania from the 30th April 1915, until the 8th May, 24 hours after the vessel had gone down! In addition, The Liverpool and London War Risks Insurance Association Limited granted an annual pension to Christina Geraghty to compensate her for the loss of her husband which amounted to £63-5s.-10d. (£63.29p.), payable at the
rate of £5-5s.-6d. (£5.27½p.) per month.
In November 1917; Christina Geraghty died in Dublin and the terms of his pension were altered, with an annual pension of £32-10s.-0d. (£32.50p) made payable to one Stan Keogh at a monthly rate of £2-14s.-2d. (£2.71p). Obviously, this was for the benefit of Martin’s children who must have been under the guardianship of Mr. Keogh.
Register of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 -1957, Cunard Records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, UniLiv. D/92/6/1, UniLiv. PR 13/24, PRO BT 334, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.
Revised & Updated – 1st December 2023.