As the RMS Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, 19-year-old Jeremiah Burke from Glanmire, County Cork, tossed a message in a holy water bottle into the Atlantic. The note read: “From Titanic, goodbye all, Burke of Glanmire, Cork.”
A year later, the bottle washed ashore in Dunkettle—just a few miles from Burke’s family home. It was found with one of his bootlaces tied around it, a haunting trace of his final moments. Burke had been traveling to America with his cousin Nora Hegarty to reunite with family in Boston; both perished in the tragedy.
The bottle remained with the Burke family for nearly a century, a deeply personal relic of loss and remembrance. In 2011, his niece Mary Woods donated it to the Cobh Heritage Centre, where it now forms part of the Titanic exhibition, preserving Jeremiah’s farewell for generations to come.
A year later, the bottle washed ashore in Dunkettle—just a few miles from Burke’s family home. It was found with one of his bootlaces tied around it, a haunting trace of his final moments. Burke had been traveling to America with his cousin Nora Hegarty to reunite with family in Boston; both perished in the tragedy.
The bottle remained with the Burke family for nearly a century, a deeply personal relic of loss and remembrance. In 2011, his niece Mary Woods donated it to the Cobh Heritage Centre, where it now forms part of the Titanic exhibition, preserving Jeremiah’s farewell for generations to come.
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G. Godson, Coffin Maker, Reddish, Greater Manchester, UK - circa 1880s.
"Plain & covered coffin maker" "Funerals completely furnished & personally conducted at the shortest notice"
In the Victorian era, making coffins was a busy industry because of the era's strong focus on death and mourning rituals.
People often died young, so there was always a need for coffins. Coffin makers, sometimes called undertakers, made different types of coffins. Some were plain wooden boxes for poorer people, and some were fancy and decorated for the rich.
"Plain & covered coffin maker" "Funerals completely furnished & personally conducted at the shortest notice"
In the Victorian era, making coffins was a busy industry because of the era's strong focus on death and mourning rituals.
People often died young, so there was always a need for coffins. Coffin makers, sometimes called undertakers, made different types of coffins. Some were plain wooden boxes for poorer people, and some were fancy and decorated for the rich.
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