Catherine Dooley : Short Biography

Catherine "Kate" Dooley was born on 14 June 1880 in Carrownageelaun, Ogulla. Her parents were Thomas Dooley and Catherine Carney. 

The Dooley's lived in a thatched cottage with two rooms and one front window. Kate's father worked hard as a labourer but this trade brought in only a small income. They kept cows and chickens in their yard. 

In 1901, Kate (21) was a post office assistant in Grange, Tulsk. She lived with her employer Bridget Hill (64), a postmistress and shopkeeper. Also there were Bridget's grand nephews and grand nieces, Katty Kilgannon (16), Katty Burke (10) and Joseph Kilgannon (17), and the other servants Mary Anne Hevehan (19), William Keane (38), John Hevehan (23) and John McDermott (30). The house had twelve rooms, four front windows and a thatched roof.

Around this time she befriended Mary Jane Maxwell, a newcomer to Tulsk village from County Wicklow. Her Roscommon born father, Thomas and brother Timothy had lived next door to the Dooley's in Carrownageelaun before Timothy's sad death. They now lived directly across from the post office. Kate was Mary Jane's bridesmaid at her wedding to James Flanagan in Tulsk Church on 11 Apr 1904. 

Kate Dooley died suddenly on 4 Sep 1908, aged twenty eight years old. The cause of death was decided to be heart failure lasting one day and took place at her family home in Carrownageelaun, witnessed by her father Thomas.

Roscommon Messenger, 19 Sep 1908

Tulsk

On Sunday last a large and representative meeting of the committee of the above branch was held in the League rooms after mass, Mr P Shanagher, Co C, presiding. Others present - Messrs M Healy, DC; M Harrington, DC; A Egan, M Dufficy, P Mally, J Tully, M Conry, P McDermott, P Dockery, P Lowry, T Hamil, J Greene, F Darcy, J McGreevy, B Burke, T Shanly..... The Secretary said as it was their first meeting since the much lamented death of Miss Kate Dooly, of Tulsk, our deepest sympathy in their sad bereavement caused by the premature death of that estimable young lady, whose sudden demise has cast a sudden gloom on the entire district. Mr B Burke said that it was with regret he seconded the vote of sympathy, which was passed in silence.