Michael Galvin was born in Derryshane, Coolmeen, County Clare, on the 20th March 1883, the son, and one of nine children of Martin and Bridget Galvin (née Frawley). His family were farmers.
On the 21st September 1906, he arrived in New York City, in the United States of America, on board the liner,
Baltic, having sailed from Queenstown. His destination was the home of his brother, Patrick, who resided at 325. West Street, Jersey City, New Jersey.
In the spring of 1915, he had been working in New York City when he decided to return home to visit his family and enjoy a holiday.
Consequently, he booked a third class passage on the Lusitania’s May sailing which was scheduled to sail from New York to Liverpool on 1st May 1915 and joined the vessel on the morning of that date, in time for her scheduled 10.00 a.m. departure.
This was then delayed until the early afternoon, as she had to embark passengers, crew and cargo from the Anchor Liner Cameronia
and just after mid-day, she slipped her mooring from her berth at Pier 54 and sailed into the North River and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, Michael Galvin was dead, killed after the steamer was torpedoed and sunk within sight of The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland, by the German submarine
U-20. At that stage of her voyage, she was only about fourteen hours away from her Liverpool destination.
As his body was never recovered from the sea and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 32 years.
In 1919, solicitor Michael Killeen of Kilrush, County Clare, wrote to Cunard on behalf of Michael Galvin’s brother John, seeking information about the sinking, prior to his making a claim for compensation. It is not known if his claim succeeded.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, Cunard Records, Clare Champion, PRO BT 100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/1, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.