Charlotte Grace O'Brien, Born: November 23, 1845, Died: June 3, 1909

Charlotte Grace O'Brien, Born: November 23, 1845, Died: June 3, 1909

Born at Cahirmoyle, Co Limerick Buried in KnockPatrick, Co Limerick

An Irish author and philanthropist and an activist in nationalist causes and the protection of female emigrants. She is known also as a plant collector. She contributed poems, stories and articles to magazines, wrote novels, studied botany and was a keen gardener. Although sympathetic to the ideals of the Ladies' Land League, she did not actually join them but instead worked tirelessly for the cause of emigrants. On visiting Cobh (then called Queenstown), she was appalled at the conditions in lodging houses there, especially for young single women. In 1881 she toured an emigrant ship and saw for herself the lack of privacy and hygiene as well as the risk for single women travelling alone of being assaulted or sexually harassed in the overcrowded sleeping quarters provided for steerage passengers. Her article in Pall Mall Gazette shocked the public and led to controversy and an inquiry. She opened a 105-bed lodging house in Cobh and campaigned for reform of Atlantic shipping. Her appeal to Roman Catholic authorities to take responsibility for their emigrants fell mostly on deaf ears - Charlotte was a Protestant then, though she became a Catholic later. In 1882 she travelled to New York and saw for herself how Irish girls could be exploited on arrival there and many lured into crime and prostitution. She convinced Catholic authorities to establish an immigrant centre in New York. During her campaign for emigrants, Charlotte Grace O'Brien was subject to much criticism and ridicule. Legacy: The site of the Mission of Our Lady of the Rosary currently serves as the rectory for the next door Church of our Lady of the Holy Rosary, (built in 1964) which houses the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton. The house was designated a New York City Landmark in 1965, and in 1972 was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Onóir O Brien

Info Wikipedia and Historyireland.com, Image-Maynooth History and aoh.com