Mary
Tinneny was born at the homeplace on Goladuff on May 7, 1905. She was the
seventh child and third daughter of James Tinneny and Mary Ann McEntyre.
She was baptized at Saint Mary's Church in Newtownbutler. Her godparents
were Eugene McEntyre and Margaret Tinneny.
Mary had long flowing
curly blond hair. As a young girl she left the farm at Goladuff to find
work. She first worked in Galway, then worked for the Murray family in
Stokestown, County Roscommon. Mary was a very good dancer and when she
finished her work she would frequently dance for her employers.
Mary Tinneny. Photo
courtesy of Mary McGarvey.
Mary participated with
hundreds of others from the boarder area in the funeral cortege for Captain
Matthew Fitzpatrick who was an officer in the IRA. Her brothers Ned and Pat
had served with Matt in IRA actions. Matt had been hidden and nursed by the
Tinnenys on Goladuff for several months some time earlier when he was shot
in an earlier action.
Matt was mortally wounded
on November 2, 1922 when he was shot in the back of the head by a young
British soldier at the train station in the town of Clones in county
Monaghan. Hundreds of people including Mary escorted Matt's remains in a
parade from Clones to Drumalee Church in Belturbet. It was a cold rainy
February day and they walked the 11 miles from Clones to Belturbet.
One day during the time
she was working in Roscommon Mary returned home. She called across the
lough from Quivvy to Goladuff for someone to come across with the cot to
pick her up and to take her to Goladuff. She came home because she was sick
with a swollen leg. A new young physician in Newtownbutler, Doctor Dolan,
treated Mary but the infection or blood clot apparently spread and she
died. Dr. Dolan subsequently spent his entire professional life practicing
medicine in and around Newtownbutler.
Mary was in her early 20s
when she died in bed in the middle room of the homeplace on Goladuff. The
family went down by the lough and got purple flowers and placed them around
her body as she lay in the room. Her cousin Hugh's wife Susan often said
how sad it was to see beautiful young Mary laying there dead with her long,
flowing blond hair. Mary was buried in the Tinneny plot at Drummully
Cemetery.
Note:
no known descendants.
