SWiSH [manifest.swi]

She boarded Titanic at Queenstown Harbour. Delia was one of the many young passengers that died on the ship. Her body was not identified among those taken from the water after the disaster. However it is possible that she was one of the bodies that couldn't be identified. Still another possibility is that she was one of the bodies buried at sea immediatly after they were recovered by the McKay and Bennett.

Letters from Delia to her Aunt have been discovered and they are in Ireland with her family in Clonown. The letters contain a description of what Delia would have been wearing on docking in America so that her Aunt would recognise her.

Also in the letter Delia repeatedly prays to god for a safe journey. Reading the letter you get a sense of how nervous Delia was before boarding the Titanic. You are also strongly reminded that these are real people who died in a very tragic accident... not just some characters in a film. It is difficult to present an easily read image of the letter so we've provided a transcript below instead.

Clonown,
Athlone,
Ireland.

Friday 5th

My Dear Aunt,

Just a line to let you know that I am to leave Athlone on Wednesday 10th April. I hope to God that we will get there all right. The ship is supposed to go in four and a half days. I hope you do have this small note. Hoping to meet you soon with Gods help.

It was a great dissapointment over that Miss Mee as she could not get to come. But there is some people going from Athlone. We must put our trust in God, he is the best.

Dear Aunt, I know sister Lizzie will feel bad not to know that I did not pick up with anyone from home, for the way it is home with the people is all to Boston they do go to. But I hope to God I do get there all right.

Well dear Aunt this is the name of the boat -Titanic- I am going on. I hope you do meet. I will wear a black coat and skirt and black hat with black and white ribbon on it.

I close with best of love to you all from your fond niece,

Delia Henry.

Margaret (Maggie) Daly was a friend and fellow passenger of Bertha Mulvihill on board Titanic. Margaret Daly also hailed from Athlone and was 30 years old when she decided to go to America.

Margaret was a third class passenger, ticket number 382650, which cost Ł6:00 in Athlone. As she was a friend of Bertha Mulvihill they both boarded the Titanic together... this also meant she was under the care of Eugene Daly.

Margaret's room was also located near the boiler rooms of the Titanic. On the night of the collision she was alerted by Mr. Daly and along with Bertha Mulvihill she made it onto a lifeboat unharmed - unlike her friend Bertha who suffered broken ribs. Her lifeboat was rescued by the Carpathia and from there she made it to New York. Little else is known about Maggie Daly's life after that tragic night on the Atlantic.

Eugene Daly lived in Athlone for most of his life. He had grown tired of the town and his job in the Athlone Woolen Mills. At the time he was a young man of 29 and was curious about the rest of the world. In 1912 he decided to go to New York to find work.

Eugene had a great love of music and was popular in the music circle in Athlone. He played in the "Clann Uiseach" pipe band. In the band he played the "Uileann" (elbow) pipes. Eugene purchased his ticket for Titanic in Butlers,in the Square in Athlone, for nine pounds. As the Titanic set sail from Cobh Eugene Daly is said to have stood on the Third class deck and played "Erin's Lament" on his pipes, his only possession on Titanic. He later claimed fifty pounds for their loss. This estimate was much more than they were worth.

During the voyage Eugene Daly was to take care of Maggie Daly and Bertha Mulvihill. On the night of the collision he rushed to get the two women and alert them of the danger. He helped the two women to lifeboat No.15. As he tried to get onto the boat he was held back at gun point. The officer stated that no men were to get on the boat or else they would be shot on the spot. Eugene witnessed the officer shoot two men. Later he saw the same officer dead on deck.... he had shot himself. Eugene then jumped of the ship and into the water just before the ship sank. He later described how cold the water was and how he expected not to survive the icy water.

He then found a lifeboat which had capsized. With the help of some other survivors and the wave made by the Titanic's bow crashing into the water they righted the lifeboat. He is quoted to have said his sufferings were intense in the life boat until the Carpathia came and began to pick up survivors at around 4:00 am.

Eugene Daly reached New York with nothing having lost his pipes, baggage and 98 pounds he had saved. In New York he was branded by the media as the piper who played as the ship sank. Mr Daly stayed in America for 10 years before returning to Athlone, in 1922 with his wife Lillian. He had a daughter Marion who emigrated to America.

Mr. Daly remained casual about the incident and only talked about it when questioned.... although he did give his account to the 1958 film makers of "A night to remember". In the 60’s he returned to America to live with his daughter after his wife had died.

That was to be his last crossing of the Atlantic as he died in America, 50 years after that tragic night, on the 31st of October 1965. He is buried at an unmarked grave at St Raymonds Cemetery in the Bronx. In 1999 Eugene's account of his survival was auctioned off for $3,500 at Christie's in Manhattan.

Margaret Rice was born in Athlone on the 6th of October 1872. She moved to Canada at an early age with her family. When Margaret was 19 she married William Rice. He was a shipping clerk with Grand Trunk Railway in Montreal, Canada. They moved to Ireland and married there. However when their firstborn died, he tragically choked on a child's dummy, they decided to move back to Canada and Montreal.

They settled in Montreal for a while. Two of their children were born there - George (30th November 1909) and Frederick Thomas (19th January 1908). In 1909 they moved again . This time they moved to Spokane Washington. While in Spokane William worked for Great Northern Railway as a machinist.

Their son Eugene was born in Washington on the 13th October 1909. Just when it seemed like Margaret was getting her life back together after the death of her son her life took another major turn. Her husband William was killed in a rail accident at his place of work. Margaret got an insurance settlement of 300 pounds from the incident.

She used this money to begin a new life in back in Ireland. She moved back to Athlone with her sons in 1910. While in Athlone they rented rooms from Bernard Finnerty. These were located at No. 9, Castle Street, on the Connaught side of Athlone. During her time in Athlone she signed the Census of 1911 . In 1912 Margaret Rice decided to move again and go back to Spokane in Washington. She booked her passage on Titanic in Athlone. Her ticket number was 382652 and cost 29 pounds.

She boarded Titanic at Queenstown with her five sons Eugene, George Hugh, Albert, Eric and Arthur. Frederick Thomas's name did not appear on the passenger list. Margaret was on her own on Titanic and was given no help after the collision. During the panic onboard after the iceberg was hit Margaret was seen by Bertha Mulvihill in the third class area. She was sitting down holding on to her son Eugene while the rest of the children were clutching at her skirt. The entire family died onboard the Titanic that night.

Her body was recovered by the Cable ship the Mackay and Bennett and was entered as recovery No.12. She was estimated to be around forty years of age. She was wearing her wedding ring and had a total of 14 pounds in her pockets and had 3 pounds in gold She was identified as being Catholic because of her rosary beads.

The most important item on her that was used to identify her was a box of pills. She had these prescribed to her on April the 9th 1912. The pills were purchased at Flemming's pharmacist in Church Street, Athlone.

Another item used for her identificationy was her shoes which said “Parson’s of Athlone” on them. She was fully identified on September the 25th 1912. She is buried at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery.

The ship the Mackay and Bennett also picked up a two year old child's body. The body was firstly, and maybe wrongly, identified as Gosta Leonard Palsson who was lost by his Mother Alma. Their whole family was also wiped out by the tragedy. Now the bodies of both Alma and the "unknown child" are buried together in Halifax. The "unknown child" could be Margaret's son Eugene. This is being looked into by Titanic researcher Alan Ruffman.

Bertha Mulvihill was born in Coosan just outside Athlone in 1888. In 1911 she returned to Ireland from Rhode Island where she lived in America. She returned to tell her mother Lisa Mulvihill and her father Martin of her engagement to Mr. Francis Noone. She stayed in Athlone for a while. However she was an adventurous person and when she heard of Titanic's maiden voyage she decided to return to Rhode Island on it.

Bertha Mulvihill was 24 years old when she left on Titanic. She boarded as a Third class passenger, her ticket number was 382653 which cost 7 pounds. Bertha was not alone on boarding the Titanic - she left along with her friend Maggie Daly also from Athlone. They were both being looked after on board by Eugene Daly also from Athlone.

Her room was located close to the boiler rooms. At the moment of impact she knew that something was wrong. She put her coat over her night dress, put her shoes on and took only her tattered bible given to her by her father. Along with Maggie and Eugene she ran up to the open decks. She eventually made it to lifeboat 15 which she got on along with Maggie.

When the Titanic sunk it took all Bertha’s possessions including a picture of Robert Emmett. In letters back to Athlone she said as the ship sank she cried "Goodbye Robert" and then said "poor lad he was drowned". Like the other survivors on lifeboats she was taken on board the Carpathia.

When she arrived in New York she met Henry Noone, her fiance, on the dock. That night they traveled to Providence by train and this is were they settled. Her husband worked as a master welder for "Brown and Sharpe" and they had five children.

In letters back to her family in Athlone she made references to a play she had seen in Athlone before her departure. The play "Robert Emmett" was performed by the Fianna Eireann drama group which included family and friends and was held in the Fr Matthew Hall. The picture of Robert Emmett she had lost had been a memento of the play.

Bertha Mulvihill never returned to Athlone after that night on the Atlantic. In 1956 she was featured in the Providence journal on the publication of "A Night to remember". Bertha Mulvihill died on the 15th of October, 1959. Her funeral was held on the 17th of October in J.F. Simington Chapel, Providence, Rhode Island. She is buried in St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket.