Catherine "Kate" Mullin was a Third Class passenger of the Titanic. She escaped the sinking in lifeboat 16.
Katie Mullin was a native of Rhyne, Cloonee in Co Longford, Ireland, where she was born on 28 July 1890 as the youngest child of a Roman Catholic pair, Thomas Mullin and Mary Duigman, who married in a church of their faith. Her father was a farmer. Catherine had 4 brothers and 4 sisters.
She boarded the Titanic at Queenstown as a Third Class passenger (ticket number 35852, cost £7, 14s, 8d). She was destined for New York City. Catherine was 20 years old at the time.
She shared cabin 161 on E-Deck with three other Longford girls, Kate Gilnagh and sisters Margaret and Catherine Murphy.
On the night of April 14, Titanic had collided with an iceberg, which sealed the fate of the ship. On April 15, during the sinking, Kate and her roommates had been in their cabin when another acquaintance from Longford, James Farrell who came from the same parish as Kate, knocked on their door and told them to get dressed as something was amiss, the engines having stopped. The four girls did as they were bid and upon trying to find a way to the higher decks they were impeded by physical barriers or crewmen redirecting them elsewhere. When one crewman tried to block their way, James Farrell intervened, shouting the at the crewman to let the women through. Intimidated by this strapping Irishman, the crewman relented and the party passed through.
Kate, Kate Gilnagh and the Murphy sisters later find their way to lifeboat 16. The last time she saw James Farrell was when him kneeling by his suitcase reciting the rosary. She later wrote to her father describing her experiences and related how her boat was packed with over 50 persons and how the screams of those left behind had haunted her.
She got compensated for her losses and settled in Manhattan, and found work as a domestic servant, and lived in the house.
Later life[]
Catherine had found love in Martin Kearns, and married him on January 2, 1916 in Manhattan, New York. Besides this joy, there was also a lot of pain that year. Kate lost both parents, her mother from bronchitis in 1916, and her father in 1919 died because of catching a flu. They were both still in Ireland, and Catherine possibly never visited her home land again after settling in the Bronx with Martin. They first had three daughters, Margaret Peggy, Mary and Eilein. Later a boy was born, named John. In 1940 they had moved to Queens in New York.
The troopship of her son John sank in 1944 during World War 2, which meant her only boy had lost his life, and it hit her heavily. He was only 19 years old when he died. Meanwhile, in all those years, Kate had pushed the thoughts about Titanic as far away as she could. It was obviously not a fond topic for her to remember.
Kate Mullin passed away on the first of November, 1970, aged 80, leaving her husband behind as a widow, he died 6 years after her and they were lied to rest in the same grave.
Portrayals[]
S.O.S. Titanic (1979)[]
Michele O'Connor as Kate Mullins in S.O.S. Titanic
Kate Mullins was portrayed by Michele O'Connor in S.O.S. Titanic. She first appeared during the boarding in Queenstown with Kate Gilnagh. On board the ship, she and Gilnagh met fellow cabinmates Bridget Bradley and Mary Agatha Glynn.
The vibrations caused by the engine which was just started took Kate by surprise and thought that there was an explosion. However, stewardess Violet Jessop calmed her down and explained that the engine had just started.
Later, the girls met and became acquainted with fellow Irishmen, James Farrell, David Charters, Martin Gallagher and Daniel Buckley.
(From left to right) : Kate Mullins, Kate Gilnagh, Mary Agatha, and Bridget Bradley
During the sinking, the group, plus Irish Beauty, Olaus Abelseth, Karen Marie, and several other passengers looked for their own way to the Boat Deck, where they ended up getting lost in the First Class Dining Saloon. Master at-arms Thomas King stopped them thinking they were going to steal or looting something, Kate and the others immediately opposed him and explained that they were just looking for their way to the lifeboats. Farrell then begged King to at least let the girls through to the lifeboat. King relented, and the girls parted ways with the gentlemen.
Assisted by Violet Jessop, the girls find their way to Collapsible D, Kate is surprised to see Daniel Buckley hiding in the bottom of the boat, Gilnagh immediately gives her shawl to cover him and tells him to stay down.
When Irish Beauty worried about the safety of her boyfriend, Martin Gallagher, Kate has to calm her down and prevent her from seeing Titanic sinking further.
Farrell, David, and Gallagher all died in the sinking, while the girls were all rescued an taken on board the Carpathia.