Horror of blaze changed my life for ever
Survivor of orphanage fire backs calls for memorial
THE last survivor of a horrific orphanage fire has opened up about her experience after 4,600 people signed a petition for a memorial to those killed in the tragedy.
Thirty-five children and a woman died in the blaze at St Joseph’s home, run by the Poor Clare Sisters in Cavan town, in February 1943.
Shocking claims emerged in a TV documentary that youngsters were locked in their dorms as the fire raged because nuns didn’t want them seen in their nightgowns.
An electrical fault has been blamed for the fire.
One of the 50 children rescued maintains they were ordered to say the rosary as the fire spread from the laundry to the second and third floors of the building.
Catherine Graham was just 14 when she witnessed the death of her young friends. Speaking from her home in London, she said: “That night changed my life. My innocence left me and I was scarred for the rest of my life.
“My mother died when she was only 35 and my father followed shortly after when he was only 41 – life was never easy even at that young stage.
“The orphanage was a cruel place, we were constantly cold and hungry and our humiliation was compounded by townsfolk who thought we were beneath them and threw stones and harsh words at us.”
Fire gutted the building within 45 minutes and it is claimed all the youngsters could have been saved.
A campaign to build a memorial on the 75th anniversary has gathered pace online, but organisers are appealing for more names to add to the list.
Patrick Doyle, who is 95 this month, was a 19-year-old soldier stationed in Cavan barracks when he got the call to attend the horrific aftermath.
He visits the mass grave where the children are buried every year in Cullies Cemetery.
He told the Northern Sound radio station he supports any memorial, adding: “The rubble was like dirty clay.
“I came across a head nearly the size of a football. I presume it was one of the elder girls. I picked it up and put it on quilts in the yard.
“I’ve never forgotten it. The terror they must have gone through that night.”
Petition organisers said it was very important the victims are remembered with the “love and respect they deserve”. To sign it, visit change.org.
It was a cruel place. We were always cold and hungry and townsfolk threw stones at us
CATHERINE GRAHAM LONDON YESTERDAY