Kate Shawe

Born
 Children
2.Patrick Bolger b1900 (with Michael Bolger),
3.Bridget Bolgerb1903 (with Michael Bolger) ,
4 Hannah Bolger b1904 (with Michael Bolger),
5.Mary Bolger b1908 (with Michael Bolger),
6.Elizabeth Bolger b1910 (with Michael Bolger),
7.Sarah Bolger b1912 (with Michael Bolger),
 Residence

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## LDS Website Entry

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F53Q-2FP

Name: Shaw

Gender: Female

Christening Date:

Christening Place: 474, LEIGHLINBRIDGE, CAR, IRE

Birth Date: 01 Feb 1874

Birthplace: Leighlinbridge, Car, Ire

Father's Name: Thomas Shaw

Mother's Name: Hannah Fenlon

Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C70155-3

System Origin: Ireland-VR

GS Film number: 255895

Reference ID: - 2:1T6MQP4

## Birth

Kate Shaw was born on the 1st February 1874 in Leighlinbridge. She was the daughter of Thomas Shawe (or Shaw as the name was eventually spelled) and Hannah Fenlon. Kate had other known sisters and brothers two of whom Helena or Lena Shaw and Hannah Shaw emigrated to Minnesota in the united States of America.

## Early Life

Born in the Coolnakisha areas of Leiglinbridge, Catherine was the daughter of Thomas Shawe

## Working Life

Kate worked up in Dublin in the Holles St, Maternity Hospital on Lower Mount Street. At the time this was a British Military Hospital / Nursing Home. While working in Dublin in 1898 Kate Shaw became pregnant with her first son Thomas Bolger.

She had no choice but to give up her job in Dublin and returned home to Coolnakisha, Leighlinbridge to have the baby in October 1898.

She gave up her job in service and returned home to Leighlinbridge to have the baby in October of that year. It is thought that Kate went (for the remainder of the pregnancy) to live with her grandmother in the Ballynockan Area of Leighlinbridge until the baby was born. The fact is this would not be correct due to ages involved.

Kate would have been 25, Hannah Shaw ( nee fenlon) was recently widowed and would be pushing 55/56 years old in 1898. She lived on Old leighlin with Kates younger sister Lena. So any grand parents ( either Shaw or Fenlon) even if they were living by 1898, would be at least 80 years old by this time and far too old to help look after a new baby.

Therefore Kate will probably have moved back to Old Leighlin to see out the pregnancy and will have lived with mother Hannah FenlonShaw.

**Ballynockan, Leighlinbridge**

It is thought that Kate never ever said who the father was, except that it was someone she met while working in Dublin. In fact so well kept was this secret down the generations that followed, possibly due to the embarrassment and scandal of the episode, that until 1997 (during the research for this part of the Family Tree) that Toms own children Anthony Bolger, Rose Bolger,Frances Bolger and Eileen Bolger, were made aware that Michael Bolger was not the father of Thomas.

When Thomas was about 15 months old in February 1900, in St Lasarians Church , leighlinbridge, **Kate Shawe** married Michael Bolger (whom it is thought was a great friend of the Shaw family, in fact Kates father Thomas Shawe was Michael's best man, which would imply that the source of the friendship was between these two men in particular, and as such Michael had probably known Kate for most of her life).

Kate died in 1953 and is buried beside her husband in The old graveyard in Tomard.

## Possible Reasons Why Kate Shaw married Michael Bolger

Kate was obviously a single mother from October 1898 onwards after her son Tom Bolger was born. All through her life Kate never divulged the name of Tom's father. It was only as late as 2020 that a DNA test actually solved the puzzle by identifying Patrick Malone b1875 as the father of Tom ( a whole 45 years after Tom had passed away ).

We note also that Kate's second son Patrick Bolger was born on the 10th January 1900 and christened a month BEFORE Kate married Michael Bolger on 27th February 1900. So Maybe Michael Bolger had to make an honest woman of Kate Shaw.

## Marriage

When Thomas was about 15 months old in February 1900, Kate married Michael Bolger. It seems that Michael was a long time friend of the Shaw family, and in particular a friend (possibly a work mate) of Kate’s father Thomas (who was in fact Michael’s best man at the wedding). This in turn would suggest that Michael had probably known Kate for most of her life in Leighlinbridge. He was ten or eleven years older than Kate and it may be that they married initially not because they were in love but in order that Kate could support Thomas and at the same time help to overcome the great scandal caused by Thomas’ birth.

Michael Bolger and Kate Shaw were married on 27th February 1900 in St Laserian’s Church in Leighlinbridge.

File:Kate shaw michael bolger marriage cert.jpg

**Copy of the Marriage Certificate of Michael Bolger and Kate Shaw**

## Occupation

Kate or ‘Granny Bolger’ as she came to be known in her later years was a well-known character in the Leighlinbridge area. She was often called on to be ‘the midwife’ at many births in the district throughout the nineteen twenties, thirties and forties.

## Children

Kate had six xhildren ( Five by Michael Bolger and Thomas the eldest whose father is not known).

* Thomas Bolger,
* Patrick Bolger,
* Bridget Bolger,
* Elizabeth Bolger,
* Hannah Bolger,
* Mary Bolger

## Death

Kate died on 8th January 1953 aged 78 in the County home, Carlow from Cardiac and Respiratory Failure.

File:KateShawdeathcert.jpg

## Newspaper Obituary

The Following appeared in the local newspaper in January 1953 to announce Kate's passing

File:KateShawObituary.jpg

## Burial

**Above** - A Copy of the Death Certificate for Kate Shaw/Bolger (Click to Zoom in) - **Note** that the certifcate was originally incorrectly completed as Margaret Bolger instead of Kate Bolger, and was corrected at the request of daughter Bridget Bolger/Kelly on 19th January 1953.

Kate is buried in St Brigids graveyard, Tomard near Carlow. You can view the entrance to **St Bridgids, Tomard**

File:Tomard.jpg

**The Graveyard adjacent to St Bridget’s Church, Tomard, Leighlinbridge**

Kate died on the 8th January 1953 in the County Home in Carlow from (according to the death certificate) Cardiac and Respiratory failure coupled with a cerebral thrombosis. She is buried beside her husband in The old graveyard in Tomard near Craan, Leighlinbridge

The graves are located directly behind the shrine, on the right of the picture above. Three iron crosses mark their location simply. The plot appears to have been purchased by the Bolger family and is also the final resting-place of Kate’s daughters Hannah Bolger, and possibly also Elizabeth Bolger. It is also the final resting-place of three children belonging to ‘Mags’ (Margaret) and Ned Bolger, all of whom died in infancy.

File:Tomard 2.jpg

**The Cross on the Left of the picture marks the grave of Michael Bolger and Kate Shaw**

File:Tomard 3.jpg

**Grave of Mick annd Kate** **Photo reproduced with grateful thanks from the Ancestry.com/Facebook Collection of Roni Budde (nee Roni Robinson)**

## Census 1901

It is known (from the Tom Bolger life story tape ) that after Michael and Kate were married in 1900, they lived initially in an old house in Coolnakisha belonging to a Farming family called Agan (or Agar ).

**Residents of a house 6 in Craanavonane (Rathornan, Carlow)**

Source - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Carlow/Rathornan/Craanavonane/1043534/

File:1901kateshawcensus.jpg

## Census 1911

**1911 Census entry for Michael and Kate Bolger**

There is a mention of the family of Michael and Kate Bolger (nee Shaw) in the 1911 Ireland Census. They are recorded as living at house 16 in Coolnaskisha, Rathornan, Carlow

File:Bolger census 1911.jpg

**Source ( http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Carlow/Rathornan/Coolnaskisha/314518/ )**

**Residents of a house 16 in Coolnaskisha, Rathornan, Carlow**

## Kate Shaw Ancestors

If you feel that there is something incorrect or needs changing or removing then please don't hesitate , let Paul Bolger know via email c/o paul.bolger@ntlworld.com

<anyweb mywidth="1200" myheight="1000">http://www.paulbolger.net/famtreedb/report\_ancestor.php?database=humo4\_&id=I1367&screen\_mode=ancestor\_chart</anyweb>

## Kate Shaw Descendants

If you feel that there is something incorrect or needs changing or removing then please don't hesitate , let Paul Bolger know via email c/o paul.bolger@ntlworld.com

<anyweb mywidth="1200" myheight="1000">http://www.paulbolger.net/famtreedb/family.php?database=humo4\_&id=F260&main\_person=I1367&screen\_mode=STAR</anyweb>

## research information

birth: 01 Feb 1874 — Leighlinbridge, Car, Ire

residence: , , Carlow, Ireland

parents: Thomas Shaw, Hannah Fenlon

record title: Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881

gender: Female

baptism/christening place: 474, LEIGHLINBRIDGE, CAR, IRE

birth date: 01 Feb 1874

birthplace: Leighlinbridge, Car, Ire

father's name: Thomas Shaw

mother's name: Hannah Fenlon

indexing project (batch) number: C70155-3

system origin: Ireland-VR

source film number: 255895

## Credits

**EDIT this section below and change or add the surnames below after the word CATEGORY: to Your own Family Surname**

Information on this page was provided by Paul Bolger