It has been nearly 4 years since I posted anything on this blog, mostly because my PhD got in the way along with the deadend I reached in my genealogical endevours! However, I cannot resist sharing the latest development from my foray into my family's history. I was recently contacted by a relative with more information about the Whelan side of the family. I was particularly curious about a reference to a Nora Whelan who was murdered in 1936. Further research into this story unearthed a rather grusome tale.
To begin with, I will briefly explain where Nora fits into the family tree. She was the niece of my great-grandfather, Christopher Whelan. Her father was Christopher's brother, Thomas, who you may recall from an earlier post, died in 1918 from tuberculosis contracted in France during World War I. Nora would have been born around the time of his death, or been no more than 1 year old.
Here is a picture of Norah taken from the Irish Press Newpaper, December 7th, 1936, aged 18:
The details of her untimely death can be found in nearly every newpaper of the time, and the resource called Irish News Archive has proved immensely helpful in finding out the details of her story. Here is the headline from one of the most comprehensive articles on the case:
Patrick Boylan [23], of Coburg Place, Dublin, was charged with the murder of Nora on December 5th, 1936. At the time of the murder, Nora was working for Jacobs biscuit factory and was the sweetheart of Patrick. Fearing that Nora was switching her affections to another man, Patrick Boylan became enraged and slit her throat with a razor:
After that, Boylan fled saying: "I knew I done it. I'll swing for it; I'll do the Canal". Boylan was subsequently arrested, tried, and sentenced to death for Nora's murder. The execution date was set for May 7th, 1937, but the day beforehand he received a reprieve. I have yet to find out what happened to Patrick Boylan after this reprieve but I have put some feelers out on some genealogical forums and hopefully something will come from that. What is undeniable is that this was a tragedy. Nora's father died before she ever had a chance to know him, and then met an untimely death herself at such a young age. Coincidentally, however, my grandfather also ended up working for Jacob's biscuit factory, but he was too young to remember when Nora was murdered.
