Miss Honor Healy was born in Greethill, Athenry, Co Galway, Ireland on 9 April 1879.1
Born into a Roman Catholic family, she was the daughter of Thomas Healy (b. circa 1835), a farmer, and Mary Martin (b. 1841).
Her known siblings were: Margaret (b. 28 December 1866), Mary (b. 30 August 1868), John (b. 18 December 1871), Bridget (b. 18 September 1876), Catherine (b. 2 June 1883), Patrick (b. 8 February 1885) and Ellen (b. 20 September 1887).
Honor appears on the 1901 and 1911 censuses living with her family at house 2 in Greethill, Athenry. Her father passed away on 10 March 1906 and by the time of the 1911 census she was still with her family and described as an unmarried farmer. Her mother died only weeks later from a heart attack on 9 April 1911.
Honor was travelling to Manhattan, New York where she had several family members, including an aunt. She boarded the Titanic at Queenstown on 11 April 1912 as a third class passenger (ticket number 370375 which cost £7, 15s). It is believed she was already acquainted with fellow Athenry passenger Andrew Keane.
On the night of the sinking Honor was rescued, in which lifeboat is uncertain.
It has been suggested that her experiences on Titanic pushed Honor over the edge. Speculated to be mentally fragile already, she had a breakdown upon her arrival in New York and soon returned to her family in Ireland. Upon her return home her mental state further deteriorated and her bizarre behaviour and inability to recognise even her closest relatives led to her being institutionalised.
Honor was committed to Ballinasloe Asylum in Ballinasloe, Co Galway where she spent the rest of her short life and where she eventually died from a stroke on 11 March 1919 aged 39. Her death record states that she had been certified as insane for eighteen months by the time of her passing. She is buried with her parents in Wilmount Cemetery, Athenry, Galway, Ireland.
Through family records and spoken family history Nora Healy was my grandmother's sister. Nora Healy is listed in many sources including the book, "A Night To Remember" as a survivor of the Titanic Disaster and in fact she never took the voyage. After boarding the ship against her mother's wishes, she had Nora found and taken off the boat before it set sail. Therefore she should not be listed as a survivor. The fact they even mention the number of the lifeboat is a surprise. She also wasn't from Athenry but from a farm outside of Cork City, County Cork. She eventually did come to...