A link between Cahermacrea, Ruan, and the Titanic

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Sduddy
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Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

A link between Cahermacrea, Ruan, and the Titanic

Post by Sduddy » Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:45 am

Arthur Jackson Brew was among those who drowned when the Titanic sank in April 1912. This article gives some information on him: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/t ... brewe.html

As the article states, Arthur was the son of Henry Joseph Brew.
Henry Joseph Brew (abt. 1840 – 1869), was the fifth child of Arthur Brew and Mary Teresa Long. They had 5 children. Two sons died aged 19 and 20. A daughter, Mary, died aged 18. A daughter, Emily, lived until 1923. Henry Joseph, the only remaining son, married Fanny Alicia Jackson in 1863. A notice of the marriage appeared in the Limerick Chronicle: “21 November: At St Nicholas’s R.C. Church, Galway, Henry Joseph Arthur, son of the late Arthur Brew Esq., Grace Park county Dublin, and formerly of Cahirmacrea, county Clare, to Fanny Alicia, daughter of Benjamin Jackson, Esq., County Inspector of Constabulary Galway West.” Henry Joseph died in Lisdoonvarna, in 1869, aged only 29.

As the newspaper notice says, Henry Joseph Brew was the son of Arthur Brew.
Arthur Brew (1793 – 1857) was born in Ruan, and went to Dublin, along with his brother, Francis, where at first they worked as wine merchants and later held posts in the Rolls Court (Thoms Directory, 1850, shows Arthur Brew as Crier in the Rolls Court), due, I feel sure, to the influence of Sir Michael O’Loghlen (of Porte House, Ruan)*, who was Master of the Rolls Court. Francis Brew, gent. North Earl-street, freeholder, and Arthur Brew, wine merchant, 52, Abbey-st., leaseholder, are recorded as having voted for Daniel O’Connell in the election of two representatives for the City of Dublin in January 1835 (Proceedings at the Election for the City of Dublin, which commenced on Monday, January the 12th and terminated on Saturday, the 17th, 1835; to elect two representatives for the City of Dublin in Parliament: to which is added a list of voters).
Arthur Brew and Francis Brew were sons of Francis Brew who may have been an employee of Colman O’Loghlen when the O’Loghlens were still living in Cahermacrea (before they moved to Porte House). An O’Loghlen tomb in Ruan graveyard (much smaller than the main O’Loghlen tomb) is inscribed: “This tomb was erected by Coleman O’Loghlen of Cahermacrea for him and his family Nov the 1st 1784”.
Arthur Brew married Mary Teresa Long in 1833; Francis Brew (Franciscus Brow) married Catherine Mahon in 1828 (irishgenealogy.ie). Francis, who died 27 Jan 1837, aged 35, is buried in plot 75, in Glasnevin, which seems to be a Mahon grave. Arthur’s wife, Mary Teresa, died in 1844 and Arthur was married secondly to Catherine Blake in 1847. The record of the marriage shows that Arthur’s father was Francis Brew. Among the other children of Francis Brew (sen.) were Susan Brew who married Patrick Kelly of Dysert, and Eliza Brew who married Thomas Foley.
Arthur, who died in 1857, is buried with his first wife, Mary Teresa Long, in plot 13, Glasnevin. The headstone was erected by Arthur’s nephew, Michael Foley, and is inscribed: “ Pray for the repose of the souls of Arthur Brew who died 25th May 1857 and of his wife Mary T Brew who died 14th July 1844. Also of their children
Arthur J Brew who died 27th Decm 1852
Francis Brew who died 2nd Decm 1854
Henry J Brew who died 28th June 1868
And Mary Brew who died 11th July 1860. RIP
Erected by Michael Foley Nephew of the above Arthur Brew.
Here also lie the remains of the above named Michael Foley who died 17th April 1910
Deeply regretted by his beloved wife Emily Foley.
He was a most generous brother and an extremely charitable man”.

Arthur Brew’s daughter, Emily (abt 1836 – 1923) is not buried in plot 13 Glasnevin. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Limerick in 1858. A notice appeared in The Freeman’s Journal of 19 Nov 1858, copied from the Limerick Chronicle. The 1901 census shows her as Sr. M. Catherine Brew, living in the convent in Rathkeal, Co. Limerick. The 1911 census shows Emily Drew (a mistranscription). She died in Limerick in 1923, aged 85.
She was aunt of Arthur Jackson Brewe, who went down with the Titanic, poor man. I doubt they had much contact, but if Sr. Catherine (Emily) scanned the list of the dead, she must have recognized the name. Her funeral was reported in The Limerick Leader of 21 Sept 1923, but doesn’t list any relatives.

The Ordnance survey maps of Cahermacrea show a castle (in ruins) and two ring forts, but I haven’t seen any photos of what’s left of the castle. It’s probably all overgrown. It is listed here among the castles of Clare: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... astles.htm
Westropp describes the caher (ring fort) here: http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... t_ruan.htm

* Michael O’Loghlen was the first Irish Catholic to be appointed to High Office in Ireland after Catholic Emancipation, or so I was told once upon a time. But the entry for him on Wikipedia does not mention that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O%27Loghlen
I used to think that his statue, installed in Ennis Courthouse in 1852, was the first public statue for an Irish Catholic, but I found later that a statue of Daniel O’Connell was installed in City Hall in Dublin in 1846.

Sheila

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: A link between Cahermacrea, Ruan, and the Titanic

Post by Sduddy » Thu Mar 19, 2020 12:46 pm

Well, I was wrong when I said that the statue of Michael O’Loghlen was installed in the Courthouse in Ennis in 1852. I see now, in this piece on some graves in Ruan old graveyard, that the statue was in the Four Courts in Dublin: “Until 1922 there was a statue of Sir Michael in the Four Courts in Dublin. When it was destroyed during the Civil war the people of Clare replaced it with the statue that is now in Ennis courthouse": http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... t_ruan.htm

Sheila

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