A Waterford playwright is hoping the power of radio can help her track down the family of one of the city’s most remarkable Titanic survivors.
Martina Teeny Collender, a playwright, screenwriter, poet, writer and activist from Waterford, has written a one man, one act play called Lucky Strike, based on the extraordinary true story of Waterford man Patrick O’Keeffe.
Now, she wants to find Pat O’Keeffe’s relatives, descendants or anyone who knew him, so they can hear about the play, read it and hopefully see it performed.
Waterford playwright searches for the family of Pat O’Keeffe
Speaking on The Big Breakfast Blaa, Martina explained that she has tried to make contact through social media but has had no success.
She is now hoping that putting out the call on air could help reconnect Pat’s story with the family he left behind.
Who was Waterford Titanic survivor Pat O’Keeffe?
Patrick O’Keeffe was born on July 11th, 1890, on Little Michael Street in Waterford City. The son of John O’Keeffe, a quarry labourer, and Catherine Fitzgerald, he attended the Sisters of Charity School before going on to De La Salle.
He emigrated to America around 1910, but returned to Waterford for a family visit in 1912.
Originally intending to return to America aboard the Baltic, Pat was persuaded by his brother Jimmy to stay in Waterford for another week so the family could spend Easter together.
That decision would change his life forever.
Pat O’Keeffe’s extraordinary Titanic story
Pat subsequently changed his passage and boarded the RMS Titanic at Queenstown on April 11th, 1912, as a third class passenger. According to accounts of his life, Pat had even experienced a premonition that the ship would sink.
Before leaving Queenstown, he reportedly tried to sell his ticket because he had a terrible feeling about the voyage. However, he was afraid that if he returned to Waterford without sailing, people would laugh at him.
After surviving the disaster, he wrote to his father: “I dreamt myself she was going down before I left Queenstown…”
When the Titanic sank, Pat managed to escape from the lower decks and found himself in the freezing Atlantic.
A strong swimmer, he eventually reached Collapsible B, the overturned lifeboat which became a refuge for a number of survivors, including Second Officer Charles Lightoller, wireless operator Harold Bride, Colonel Archibald Gracie, Jack Thayer and Chief Baker Charles Joughin.
Pat is also believed to have helped other men out of the freezing water before eventually being rescued by the Carpathia.
What happened to Pat O’Keeffe after the Titanic?
Despite surviving one of the most infamous disasters in history, Pat apparently rarely spoke about the Titanic afterwards. He never returned to Ireland, although he retained a strong attachment to Waterford and his family.
In America, he worked as a window dresser and later as an elevator operator, eventually becoming a supervisor.
Pat married Anna Nolan, who was born in New York to Irish parents, in Jersey City in 1923. They had two children, Margaret Veronica O’Keeffe and Edward O’Keeffe.
Margaret, who never married, later became an executive with Revlon and died in 1988. Edward served in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, later worked in insurance, married Patricia Huson and raised a family.
Pat and Anna divorced at one stage before remarrying in 1936. Pat became a U.S. citizen later that year. He died in New York in December 1939, aged just 49, and was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.
The search for Pat O’Keeffe’s descendants
There is another remarkable chapter to Pat’s story, and one which Martina says makes her search even more compelling.
Author John Nolan was Pat O’Keeffe’s great nephew. Growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York, Nolan had heard family stories about an “Uncle Paddy” who had survived the Titanic.
He eventually began investigating the mysterious relative and followed the trail back to Pat, ultimately discovering long lost relatives, including Pat’s only son.
His book, In Search of Great Uncle Pat: Titanic Survivor, was first published in 2001.
Now, decades later, Martina hopes to help bring Pat’s story back to his family once again.
Pat O’Keeffe immortalised in Martina’s play Lucky Strike
“I would absolutely love them to know about the play, read it and, most importantly, have the opportunity to see it performed,” she says.
Martina is happy to send the full Lucky Strike script to any member of Pat O’Keeffe’s family, or anyone who knew him.
She is also keen to hear memories, stories, photographs, information or corrections that could help ensure the play honours Pat and his family as accurately and respectfully as possible.
Where can you see Lucky Strike in Waterford?
There is also an opportunity to see the play for free.
A rehearsed reading of Lucky Strike will take place on Culture Night, Friday September 18th, with performances at 6pm in Kilmacthomas Library and 8pm at Crough Coffee Café.
So Martina’s message is simple. If you are a relative, descendant, friend or have any connection to Waterford’s Titanic survivor Pat O’Keeffe, she would love to hear from you.
Email breakfast@wlrfm.com with any information you think may be helpful.
Play to listen back to Martina’s interview in full.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
