Catherine Brigid Kiernan (1893 - 1945)

Born 26 Jan 1893 in Granard, County Longford, Ireland

Ancestors

Wife of Felix Joseph Cronin — married 10 Jun 1925 in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, Ireland

Descendants

Died 25 Jul 1945 at age 52 in County Dublin, Ireland

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Biography

Catherine Kiernan was born in Ireland.

Catherine is a Roman Catholic.

Catherine Kiernan is Notable.

Kitty Kiernan was widely known as the fiancée of Irish revolutionary leader and Chairman of the Provisional Government, Michael Collins.

Early Life

Catherine Brigid, daughter of Peter and Bridget (née Dawson) Kiernan, was born on the 26th January 1893 in Granard, County Longford.^[1]

In the 1901 census Kathleen (age 7), Scholar, was the daughter of Peter Kiernan at 15 Main Street, Granard.^[2]

Relationship with Michael Collins

Kitty first met Michael Collins in 1918 when he stayed at her family's hotel, The Greville Arms in Granard, with his friend and fellow Irish republican, Harry Boland. She had been a love interest of Collins and Boland's before Collins proposed on the 8th October 1921 in the Grand Hotel, Greystones, County Wicklow. They hoped to have a double wedding with her sister Maud, who was due to marry Gearóid O’Sullivan the following year, but before a date could be chosen, on the 22nd August 1922, Collins was assassinated by Anti-Treaty forces in Béal na mBláth, County Cork. Kitty spent more than a year wandering from relative to relative carrying the precious souvenirs of her dead lover.^[3]

Marriage and Later Life

Catherine married Felix Cronin of Collins Barracks, Dublin on the 10th June 1925 in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, in the presence of Seamus O'Higgins and Helena Cusack.^[4] Kitty and Felix had two sons:

1. Felix Mary, b.1926 in Dublin.
2. Michael Collins, b.20th December 1929 in Dublin.

Due to Kitty's continued obsession with Collins’s memory, her marriage to Felix Cronin was an unhappy one. A portrait of Collins on an easel dominated the hallway of their home, and she chose a grave near his while still a young woman.^[5]

Kathleen Cronin passed away on the 25th July 1945 at 36 Elgin Road, Dublin, residing at 23 Harrington Street,^[6] and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery,^[7] not far from the grave of her once-fiancé, Michael Collins.^[3][5]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie, birth of Catherine Brigid Kiernan, 26 January 1893, Registration District/Office: Granard; entry 302 of the 'copied register' of the Birth Register Books, signed and dated 29 March 1893 by Eugene Doherty, Registrar. (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1893/02313/1866958.pdf : accessed 27 August 2022).
2. ↑ 1901 Census: "1901 Census of Ireland"
   The National Archives of Ireland; Residents of a house 15.1 in Main Street (Granard Urban (in 26 files), Longford)
   National Archives of Ireland Image - National Archives of Ireland Record (accessed 12 July 2023)
   Kathleen Kiernan (7) daughter, Scholar, in household of Peter Kiernan (45) on Main Street, Granard Urban (in 26 files), Longford, Ireland. Born in Co Longford, Ireland.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Slater, Sarah. “Items Belonging to Kitty Kiernan, Fiancée of Michael Collins, to Go under the Hammer.” Irish Examiner, 18 April 2018. https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30837933.html.
4. ↑ Marriage: Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie, marriage of Felix Cronin and Catherine Kiernan, 10 June 1925, Registration District/Office: Rathfarnham; entry 88 of the 'copied register' of the Marriage Register Books, signed and dated 10 June 1925 by Timothy O'Callaghan. (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1925/09140/5305652.pdf : accessed 27 August 2022).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} O'Regan, Michael. “Michael Cronin – Last Surviving Son of Kitty Kiernan Was Keen Sportsman and Loyal Friend.” The Irish Times, 28 February 2021. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/michael-cronin-last-surviving-son-of-kitty-kiernan-was-keen-sportsman-and-loyal-friend-1.4497346.
6. ↑ Death: Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, "Civil Records," database with images, IrishGenealogy.ie, death of Kathleen Cronin, 25 July 1945, Registration District/Office: Donnybrook; entry 325 of the 'copied register' of the Death Register Books, signed and dated 20 August 1945 by D. Dustin, Asst Registrar. (https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1945/04619/4225784.pdf : accessed 27 August 2022).
7. ↑ Headstone: Monumental inscription. Glasnevin Cemetery. 25 July 1945 (b. 1893) Cronin, Kitty Kiernan. Photographed by: Feargal Hennigan: taken 5 August 2022.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q4581421, en:Wikipedia
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #9763149 (accessed 12 July 2023)
  Memorial page for Catherine Brigid “Kitty” Kiernan Cronin (1892-25 Jul 1945), citing Glasnevin Cemetery, Glasnevin, County Dublin, Ireland; Maintained by Cindy Turner (contributor 46638026).