Catherine Gilhooly was born in Ireland towards the end of the nineteenth century. She was married and the family home was at Lyonstown, Ballyfarnon, County Roscommon, Ireland.
In the spring of 1915, she had been in New York, New York State, in the United States of America, and booked passage home as a second cabin traveller on the
Lusitania, which left her berth at Pier 54 in New York, on 1st May 1915.
One week later, after the liner was torpedoed, she managed to survive, probably in one of the lifeboats which was successfully launched and having been rescued from the sea, she was landed at Queenstown from where she eventually made it back home by train.
Not long after her return, she applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund for financial assistance to make up for some of her lost possessions. This fund was administered by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and a committee of local worthies and on 14th June 1915, in response to her request, the sum of £2-0s-0d was forwarded to her.
Cunard Records, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.