Hanora O'Leary

Who was Hanora O’Leary?

Hanora “Nora” O’Leary was a 16 (sixteen) year-old Irish survivor of the Titanic disaster. Born on June 10, 1895, in Kingwilliamstown (now Ballydesmond), County Cork, Ireland, Nora embarked on a journey that would become a defining moment in her life and a testament to her resilience.

Early Life and Family

Nora came from a large Roman Catholic family, deeply rooted in the agricultural traditions of rural Ireland. Her parents, John O’Leary, a farmer born in 1851, and Johanna Healy, born in 1856, had married around 1876. Nora was one of ten children, though only seven survived to adulthood.

Her known siblings included:

Daniel (b. 1877)
Katie (b. 1885)
Denis (b. 1886)
Martin (b. 1887)
John (b. 1890)
Jeremiah (b. 1892)
Margaret (b. 1898)

The O’Leary family’s life in Glencollins Upper, Kingwilliamstown, was typical of many Irish farming families of the era. By the time of the 1911 census, several of Nora’s siblings had already embarked on the well-trodden path of emigration to the United States, a journey Nora herself would soon undertake.

The Fateful Voyage

Why did Nora board the Titanic?

At the tender age of 16 (sixteen), Nora boarded the Titanic at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. Her destination was New York City, where she planned to join her sister Katie at 137 West 11th Street. This journey was a common rite of passage for many young Irish people seeking opportunities abroad.

Nora’s Titanic journey details:

Ticket Number: 330919
Ticket Cost: £7, 16s, 7d
Class: 3rd Class
Port of Embarkation: Queenstown

Nora wasn’t traveling alone. She was part of a group from the Kingwilliamstown area, led by Daniel Buckley. Her fellow travelers included Hannah Riordan, Bridget Bradley, Patrick O’Connell, Patrick O’Connor, and Michael Linehan.

What happened to Nora on the night of the sinking?

On the fateful night of April 14, 1912, Nora was asleep in her cabin when the Titanic struck the iceberg. Awakened by the impact and feeling uneasy, she and her cabin mates dressed and made their way to the open decks. Despite their pleas, crewmen provided little information about the situation.

Nora and her friends managed to reach the upper decks, where they claimed to see the lights of a distant ship. In a stroke of fortune that would change the course of her life, Nora was rescued on a lifeboat. She later reported that the boat contained many Irish passengers, and that during their ordeal, many recited the Rosary.

Life After the Titanic

How did the Titanic experience impact Nora’s life?

Following her rescue by the Carpathia and arrival in New York, Nora was reunited with her sister Katie at the pier. For nearly a decade, she remained in New York, working as a domestic servant. The 1920 census records her as a maid for an engineer’s family in Hempstead, Nassau, New York.

In 1921, Nora made the decision to return to Ireland. However, the country she returned to was vastly different from the one she had left. The Ireland of 1921 was in the midst of the Irish War of Independence, a period of intense conflict and political upheaval.

Did Nora marry after returning to Ireland?

Yes, Nora married on April 17, 1922. Her husband, Thomas Timothy Herlihy (born 1892), was a farmer and a captain in the IRA’s 4th Cork Brigade. This union connected Nora to the turbulent history of Ireland’s fight for independence.

Nora and Thomas had five children:

Hannah
Sheila
Kathleen
Nora
Timothy

Later Life and Legacy

Nora spent the remainder of her life in Ballydesmond, becoming a widow in 1968. Interestingly, she reportedly discouraged discussion about the Titanic in her later years, perhaps finding the memories too painful or overwhelming.

Nora O’Leary passed away on May 18, 1975, at the age of 79 (seventy-nine). She and her husband are buried in a family plot in Ballydesmond Cemetery, just a few feet from her fellow Titanic survivor, Daniel Buckley.

Their headstone bears a poignant inscription:

THOMAS T. G. COMPANY CAPTAIN OF CORK,
NO 4 BRIGADE OLD I.R.A.
DIED 23rd NOV. 1968
HIS WIFE NORA (NEE O'LEARY)
SURVIVOR OF TITANIC DISASTER OF APRIL 1912
DIED 18TH MAY 1975
REST IN PEACE

Nora O’Leary’s life story is a remarkable tapestry of survival, resilience, and the intertwining of personal history with the grand narratives of the Titanic disaster and Irish independence. Her journey from a young girl on the ill-fated Titanic to a matriarch in post-independence Ireland is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of extraordinary circumstances.