Bridget Delia McDermott was born on the 8th March 1881. She was born and raised in Knockfarnaght, Co. Mayo, Ireland. Knockfarnaght is a sub-division of the Parish of Addergoole, which is now more commonly known as Larhadane. McDermott was one of seven siblings. However, out the seven McDermott children, only Delia and four of her other siblings would survive into adulthood. Many of her siblings had died in infancy or contracted disease. However, despite these circumstances, the McDermott family thrived in the agricultural sector. Both of Bridget’s parents, who also came from the Co. Mayo area of Ireland, had been brought up as farmers. The family’s profession would not be too dissimilar to many of the other families in Knockfarnaght. As the Parish of Addergoole is surrounded by vast green landscapes, which is ideal for farming. It is likely that the McDermott’s would have competed with their neighbours for the best livestock and produce.
The Titanic Connection:
Since the prior summer of 1911, it would have been nearly impossible to have avoided the mounting press and publicity that was being given to the newly constructed Olympic Class. This new breed of liner would set the standard for the largest moving objects in the world. The success of the RMS Olympic’s maiden voyage was only increasing the public’s excitement to see the maiden voyage of Olympic’s sister ship, the RMS Titanic. It is logical to question, how an isolated strip, like Addergoole would have been aware of the Titanic’s upcoming voyage from Southampton. It is likely that advertisements would have been put into parish newspapers of bulletin boards. Addergoole would have been an ideal spot for the Titanic to be promoted. Luxury liners found an unexpected success in the popularity of travelling on a ship from the poorer members of society. Hence why, prior to the 1900s not much attention was given to accommodating second class passengers. It was easier to encourage third-class travel as many used steamships as a means of immigration and travel.
Bridget McDermott was intending to visit her cousin, Mary Finnerty who lived in Missouri, USA. On April 11th 1912, Bridget left Knockfarnaght and began to make her way to Queenstown, which was 198 miles, south west of Knockfarnaght and Addergoole. The night before joining the ship. McDermott had an eerie encounter. A stranger, who McDermott later claimed had most likely been a beggar, had approached Delia and told her that she would be involved in a tragedy, but she would survive. According to some of Delia’s friends and relatives, this encounter had suddenly made Delia apprehensive about the Titanic. Even whilst on board Delia became quite anxious.
On April 12th 1912, McDermott joined thirteen other third class passengers. Together the unit would make up the legendary ‘Addergoole Fourteen.’ All fourteen members of the group were travelling as third-class passengers and would have paid £7 for their tickets.
April 15th 1912,
On the evening of April 14th at 11:40 pm, Titanic collided with an iceberg that ripped a fatal gash in the side of the ship. At this time McDermott was asleep in her cabin. Neither Bridget’s or any other member of the Addergoole Fourteen’s accommodations have been identified.But, it is a sensible guess that the Knockfarnaght resident’s cabin could have been either located in the ship’s forward bow or towards the back end of the stern. This is where the third-class accommodation was. It is slightly difficult to decide exactly which end of the ship McDermott had settled in as, after the sinking. McDermott had testified that when escaping the ship, she had gone topside. The term topside simply means the section of the ship that is between the hull, the waterline, and the ship’s decks. Topsides usually tend to be located towards the upper deck of a ship.
When escaping the sinking liner, Bridget and two other Addergoole natives, John Bourke and Pat Canavan. Had used a ladder to accesses the topside of the vessel. Interpretations of this event do slightly differ. Some sources suggest that the ladders the three had used, had lead them out into the first-class section of the ship whilst other accounts put forward the view that the Bridget, John and Pat had used a ladder near the stern of the ship that came out onto Titanic’s poop deck, which is just aft of the second-class accommodation.
Whether McDermott had used either of these ladders, it remains an achievement that she was able to escape the Titanic at all. As earlier on in the evening Bridget had been held at a standstill, with a host of other third-class passengers in one of the third-class companionways. Whilst waiting to be let up to the decks by a steward, she realised that she had left her hat, which she had purchased the day before she boarded Titanic. She quickly returned to her cabin to retrieve the hat and perhaps after leaving her cabin for the final time, she then found John and Pat.
She left the ship on lifeboat thirteen. Lifeboat thirteen was launched under the command of second-officer Charles Lightoller, number thirteen left Titanic at approximately 1:30 am, just an hour before Titanic would founder. The boat was under the command of Titanic fireman, Fredrick Barrett. It was partially launched from the boat deck, as the boat was still being loaded as it passed the ship’s promenade deck. Worryingly, the lifeboat’s ropes had become stuck to the lifeboat davits. Meaning that the ropes were still attached to the boat when it reached the water. The situation was becoming even worse as lifeboat fifteen was launched as number thirteen was still being lowered into the sea. Had lifeboat fifteen been launched any quicker, it would have crushed the lifeboat below it. In the end both lifeboats were successfully freed from the ship, but the suction of water was beginning to take its toll. If Fredrick Barrett had not suggested that that the oars should be pushed directly against the side of the ship, the lifeboat would have been swamped.
Life After Titanic
Unfortunately, Bridget was only one of three members of the Addergoole Fourteen to survive the sinking. Her fellow male companions, John Bourke and Pat Canavan were lost in the sinking. After the events of the Titanic. Bridget settled in America, she moved to Jersey where she would eventually marry an Irish immigrant, John Lynch. The couple had three children. Much like fellow Addergoole survivor Anna Kathrine Kelly, McDermott took up teaching at a Roman Catholic School. Delia died on November 3rd 1959.
As always, I’ll leave a few external links about the life of Bridget McDermott. Please feel free to ask any questions and let me know what you think!
Have a ‘titanic’ week!
-Millie
Life of Bridget Delia McDermott, Encyclopaedia Titanica: https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/bridget-delia-mcdermott.html
Lifeboat Thirteen, Titanic Wiki Fandom: https://titanic.fandom.com/wiki/Lifeboat_13
County Mayo Survivor Bridget McDermott, Irish Central: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/mayo-titanic-survivor-delia-mcdermott
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