Katie Gallagher (1912–1929)

Katie Gallagher the eighth child of Edward and Mary, was born on 23 Jun 1912 in Tavnaglass. In 1929, at the young age of seventeen, Katie died of “Bright’s Disease” (a kidney condition which is now known as “Nephritis”) she is interred in Kinaffe Cemetery, which is the site of the original Parish of Brackloon before the present-day Parish of Midfield came into existence at some point in the 18th century.

The family could not afford a headstone and her grave was left unmarked. The Grave like the rest of the cemetery was left to fall into a state of disrepair, then around 1996 fresh from their successful efforts to renovate Midfield Cemetery a community group spearheaded by 4 women one of whom was Katie’s Niece-In-Law Maureen from her Brother Patrick tried to get a similar outcome for Kinaffe however due to numerous reasons their efforts proved unsuccessful, over the years there have been some efforts to improve the cemetery but most graves are still left unmarked.

Kinaffe Cemetery, 1996
Katie’s school photo in Brackloon School circa early 1920s. She is middle of the bottom row.