Cavan Orphanage Fire Tragedy_0001.wmv

In the early hours of a February morning in 1943 fire broke out in the basement laundry of St. Joseph's Orphanage & Industrial School run by the enclosed order of Poor Clare nuns in Main St., Cavan town. The fire very quickly turned into an inferno. The alarm was raised by horrified townspeople who tried to help. At first they could not gain access to the convent and when they were admitted it was almost too late too reach the terrified, screaming children, trapped in the top floor dormitories. A hugely inadequate fire service meant that within forty minutes the flames had taken hold, the roof had caved in and the building was left just a shell. Thirty five children and an elderly lay woman burned to death. The following day the remains of the thirty six bodies were recovered from the smoldering ruin. They were put in just eight coffins and buried subsequently in a mass grave.

The horrific tragedy became national front page news and controversy about locked fire exits and why the children were not evacuated in good time gave the impetus for a public Tribunal of Inquiry. But the results of the Inquiry raised almost more questions than it answered. The inquiry was viewed as a whitewash by some as there was no attempt to hold anyone directly responsible.
Anyone can write for information to:
Sean Galligan,
Corlislea,
Ballinagh,
Co. Cavan,
Ireland.
email: seang_063@hotmail.com

This is the full list of those who died such a terrible death.

Mary Harrison (15 yrs Dublin)

Mary Hughes (15 yrs Killeshandra)

Ellen McHugh (15 yrs Blacklion)

Kathleen & Frances Kiely (12 yrs & 9 yrs Virginia)

Mary & Margaret Lynch (15 yrs & 10 yrs Cavan)

Josephine & Mona Cassidy (15 yrs & 11 yrs Belfast)

Kathleen Reilly (14 yrs Butlersbridge)

Mary & Josphine Carroll (12yrs & 10 yrs Castlerahan)

Mary & Susan McKiernan (16 yrs & 14 yrs Dromard, Belturbet, Co Cavan.)

Rose Wright (11 yrs Ballyjamesduff)

Mary & Nora Barrett (12 yrs -Twins - Dublin)

Mary Kelly (10 yrs Ballinagh)

Mary Brady (7 yrs Ballinagh)

Dorothy Daly (7 yrs Cootehill)

Mary Ivers (12 yrs Kilcoole Wicklow )

Philomena Regan (9 yrs Dublin)

Harriet & Ellen Payne (11 yrs & 8yrs Dublin)

Teresa White (6 yrs Dublin)

Mary Roche (6 yrs Dublin)

Ellen Morgan (10 yrs Virginia)

Elizabeth Heaphy (4 yrs Swords)

Mary O'Hara (7 yrs Kilnaleck)

Bernadette Serridge (5 yrs Dublin)

Katherine & Margaret Chambers (9 & 7 yrs Keady, Co. Armagh)

Mary Lowry (17 yrs Drumcrow,Ballinagh, Cavan)

Bridget & Mary Galligan (17 & 18yrs Drumbrath,Kilnaleck, Cavan)

Mary Smith (80 yrs employed as Cook)

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Cavan
• Orphanage
• Fire
• Tragedy
• 0001

[hmwm67]

I wonder if the guy with the funny hat at 0;24 or the 2 guys next to him were pedophiles. May those poor 35 wee souls RIP :(

[Mirani2]

@MegaCrystalwater Do you have any links to a website or book with an official account of this? I'd love to read up on it!! (all the issues)

[MegaCrystalwater]

@GAELMIC The RCC sent dead children from mother and baby homes for dissection in Universities and colleges. Many children died from the vaccine trials other babies died because of forced feeding to fatten children for prospecting adoptions. These children were never given even a burial. The children who died in this fire were sacrificed.

[TheMandaxx]

Poor little angels. If this school was anything like the other industrial schools at the time, the poor wee souls probably were better off. How anyone can treat children this way astonishes me. 8 coffins for 36 people? Maybe if the fat arse nuns and priests had given up their extravagent food, and replaced the golden chalises in the chapel, the little ones might have had a coffin each!

[GAELMIC]

@enyrb Blaming the "catholic church" for murder of these children is ridiculous and exposes that your prejudice overrides your rationale. The fire killed the children, and their minders who kept them on the premises allowed the fire to kill them. The absence of a fire escape stairs, a fire alarm system, fire rated doors equally may have contributed to their death. The sectarian nature of your comment comes from the self-hating nature of some catholics, similar to secular jews who detest Orthodox

[GAELMIC]

@enyrb What shite is that to say. Fires occur and sectarian generalising is ignorant and insulting, you twat!

[no1sexgodforever]

damn nuns should of burned instead

[lisarathbone1]

my mother and her friend heard children crying about 10 years after this travesty in the hall that was built over where most of the innocents died. one evening under the stage appeared white rabbits

[lisarathbone1]

the nuns would allow the children to be seen by men only in their chemise. they paid with their lives.

[grezzbop]

how horrible. thanks for the upload