On Thursday 11th April 1912, one hundred and thirteen steerage passengers (third Class) boarded Titanic at Queenstown (Cobh) in Cork. Fourteen of these passengers were from Addergoole Parish (Lahardane). Eleven of these fourteen died when RMS Titanic sank on her maiden voyage, east of Newfoundland, having struck an iceberg. These Titanic passengers are known locally as the Addergoole Fourteen.

The 3 who survived were; Annie Kate Kelly, Delia McDermott, Annie McGowan.

The 11 who perished were; Catherine Bourke, John Bourke, Mary Bourke, Mary Canavan, Pat Canavan, Bridget Donohue, Nora Fleming, James Flynn, Catherine McGowan, Delia Mahon, Mary Mangan.

The Addergoole Titanic Society believes that the loss of these 11 lives represents the largest proportionate loss of life from any locality on RMS Titanic. To put the loss in perspective, in 1911, the year before the Titanic sank the population of the Addergoole was 3,496 people living in 703 houses according to the Irish census (click here for the Addergoole 1911 census data). The eleven Addergoole passengers who perished represent 0.3% of that population, or 2% of all the Third Class passengers lost when Titanic sank. This was truly, an extraordinary loss for our small parish.

Emigration from Addergoole and the surrounding areas was rife. It was a rare townland indeed that had no emigration. Another ship, SS Carmenia left Queenstown on 7th April 1912 and arrived at Ellis Island on 15th April. The ship's manifest shows it carried passengers several Mayo passengers, along with three who lived close to Addergoole parish. Bridget Heffernan from Crossmolina, Catherine Brogan and Mary Gallagher from Carravaneen Knockmore, were on this sailing. Catherine and Mary had told Catherine Bourke, one of the Addergoole Fourteen who perished on Titanic, that they would meet her in Chicago. Imagine their distress when the fatal news of Titanic's sinking eventually reached them, probably on 17-18th April 1912. First press news on 15th April of RMS Titanic hitting the iceberg was misleading: all passengers had been saved and the ship was limping to port. This appalling loss took some days to be reported accurately in the newsprint.

In total, fifteen Mayo people were on RMS Titanic's tragic maiden voyage. Fourteen were from the parish of Addergoole (Lahardane), and one crew member, originally from Main Street Castlebar Co. Mayo, but living in Southampton England. This was William Luke Duffy, who also had an address in Dublin.

News of who had perished and survived was initially muddled. Tragically, a serving soldier in the Connaught Rangers, John Young, shot himself on learning of the disaster. John believed his brother Francis had died in the sinking, but Francis was not on Titanic's maiden voyage. It was another seafarer of the same name and no relation to John who had perished. Titanic claimed another life. Read More

Two other Mayo women, Norah Callaghan (Ticket No: 364853), and Annie Jordan (Ticket No: 364853), were booked to sail to America on RMS Titanic from Cobh, but fortuitously did not embark and were spared. Norah Callaghan was from the townland of Lack East in Turlough, Co Mayo. She was 18 years of age. The manifest for the SS Celtic, another White Star liner, shows that Norah boarded the Celtic the day after RMS Titanic sailed from Queenstown, 12th April 1912. Her family name is spelt "Callughan" in the Ellis Island Records, where she arrived safely on 20th April 1912. 

Callaghan & Jordan cancellation records

Here are their entries crossed out on the RMS Titanic manifest, co-incidently listed after the entries for four Addergoole passengers: Mary Canavan, John Bourke, his wife Catherine and James Flynn.

Click here for an enlarged image. Titanic Manifest

In 2002 the Addergoole Titanic Society was formed by a group of interested individuals living in the Lahardane area who were determined to commemorate the 14 emigrants who left our village in 1912. The Addergoole Titanic Society erected this commemorative plaque in St Patrick's Church to remember our Addergoole Fourteen who left in 1912.

Click here to view/print a larger image. Titanic Church Memorial

Titanic Passenger Memorial in St Patrick's Church, Lahardane, Ballina, Co Mayo, Ireland

Footnote: Dates of birth were taken from the Parish Baptismal Register, with the exception of the following where no record could be found: Annie McGowan, Catherine Bourke (McHugh), Mary Canavan, and Annie Kate Kelly. The date of birth on Annie McGowan's death certificate was used and the Civil Records were used for the other three. Subsequently Massbrook School Records showed Annie McGowan's date of birth to be 05/07/1894, making her 17 years old.