Kathleen Curran facts for kids

Kathleen Curran (born 1912, died 1995) was a trailblazing woman from Galway, Ireland. From 1951 to 1953, she worked as the secretary, collector, and acting harbour master for the Port of Galway. She was known as the "only woman in Ireland" to hold these important jobs at the time. Many people believe she was the very first female harbour master in Ireland's history.

Kathleen's Early Life: Growing Up in Galway

Kathleen Bernadette Curran was born in Galway on February 27, 1912. Her parents were Mary Carroll and Patrick Curran. Patrick worked as a coachman and gardener. Kathleen was one of seven children in her family. They lived on College Road, which was very close to the Port of Galway.

Kathleen went to the Mercy Convent school. Her family was very nationalist. They taught her to love the Irish language and her Irish heritage. As a child, Kathleen loved to visit the docks. She would "gaze in wonder at the ships, boats and trawlers." She also read many books about sailing and the sea. Her cousin, Peter B. Kyne, was a writer from San Francisco. Many of his books were even made into movies!

Kathleen was once engaged to be married to Captain William Goggin. However, her mother did not approve of the marriage, so the engagement ended. Kathleen lived with her sister Maureen for the rest of her life. Interestingly, one of Eamon de Valera’s sisters lived with them for a while too.

Kathleen's Career: Working at Galway Port

After finishing school, Kathleen Curran started working for the Galway Harbour Board. In 1935, she had a special task. She showed the famous Hollywood actor Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers around Galway when he visited.

Kathleen also volunteered for the lifeboat services. She was even the second coxswain (a type of boat leader) of the Galway lifeboat. She started as an assistant and then became a pilot. This meant she helped guide large ships safely into the harbour.

Taking on More Responsibility

Kathleen was later appointed as the secretary to the Harbour Commissioners. She was part of the board during important events. This included when the Athenia ship was sunk by a German submarine in 1939. She was also there when The Moyalla ship ran aground in 1946. In 1948, the remains of the famous poet WB Yeats were brought back from France. Kathleen helped coordinate this important event from the Galway side.

In 1951, Kathleen took on even more roles. She became the acting harbour master, Port Authority secretary, and collector. She took over after the previous secretary and harbour master retired. At that time, she was the only woman in Ireland to hold all these positions.

In 1953, a magazine called Woman's Life featured her. They wrote: “A woman with a man’s job, which she carries out exceptionally well is Kathleen B Curran, Harbour Master and Secretary to the Port Authority and Galway Port…Her present responsible job includes arranging berthing accommodation for ships and attending to enquiries of ship’s masters ... She also on occasions takes the helm of the pilot boat, going out to ships to take off the pilot, and has many times been complimented on her excellent seamanship”.

Why Her Role Was Temporary

Due to laws in Ireland at the time, women were limited in taking certain public service jobs. Because of this, Kathleen's appointment as harbour master was temporary. The Port Authority continued to look for men to fill the roles permanently. In 1953, after almost two years, Kathleen handed over the job to two men. The new harbour master was Captain James Whyte. People said that later harbour masters would always ask Kathleen for advice before making big decisions.

Pioneering Women: Other Female Harbour Masters

Kathleen Curran is often called the first female harbour master in Ireland. However, there is some evidence that other women held similar titles earlier. These women often took over the role after a male family member passed away.

• Margaret Moloney became the harbour master at Glin, County Limerick. She worked for the Limerick Harbour Board from 1918 until she retired in 1952. When she died in 1959, her obituary said she was "Ireland’s only woman harbour master." A statue was put up in Glin in 2000 to remember her.
• Ellen Fitzell became harbour mistress in Saleen Quay, Ballylongford, County Kerry. She took over after her husband George died. She was harbour mistress from 1911 until her own death in 1918.
• Mary Corrigan in Antrim was harbour mistress of the Lower Bann Waterway from at least 1901. When she died in 1907, her sister Elizabeth took over the role.

It's important to know that these harbours were much smaller than the Port of Galway. More recently, Captain Catríona Dowling was named the "first female harbour master in the history of the island of Ireland" in 2016. She was appointed at Warrenpoint Harbour, a major commercial port.

Kathleen's Later Life

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Kathleen Curran was on the committee that organized the building of Galway Cathedral.

Kathleen retired in the 1970s. She had worked for the Port of Galway for 45 years! It was her daily routine to walk by the docks. She passed away in 1995.