Mary Walker: a story from a dark past to a brighter future

It was a violent and shocking murder that stunned an entire country and 117 years later people gathered by the Royal Canal in Mullingar to remember the circumstances around the death of Mary Walker.

The Memorial walk was organised by Éist – Saying No to Silence and Zero Tolerance, who invited locals to join a community walk on the canal path to mark the anniversary of the murder of Mary Walker and to stand in solidarity with victims and survivors of violence.

On 7 July 1909, Mary Walker lost her life in circumstances that shocked a nation and highlighted the devastating reality of violence against women.

On the evening of the memorial walk, historian and author Jason McKevitt joined shared Mary Walker’s story at the spot where she tragically lost her life.

Mary was born on July 10, 1877, in Bagenalstown, County Carlow, and arrived in Mullingar in 1901 to take up a job in the post office as a telegraphist and sorter.

At the time of her death, she was renting a room from her landlady, Mrs Anne Daly, at 3 Fairview Terrace, Patrick Street, Mullingar.

In the post office, Mary worked a split shift, 8.30am to 2pm, and 8pm to 10pm. In the afternoon, she would often leave her home around 3pm to go on a walk, as she did on the evening of July 7, 1909.

Mr McKevitt said: “Mary Walker arrived here (Royal Canal), on an evening like tonight; however, it was breezier.”

On that day Mr Savage, the postmaster at that time, had stated in reports that Mary left work at quarter to two.

Mary had gone home to Mrs Anne Daly’s house, had her dinner and informed Mrs Daly that she was going for a walk, but didn’t say where.

On that evening, concerns were raised when Mary was due to return to her lodgings for tea before returning to work at 6.30pm, but when she didn’t return at that time, Mrs Daly became concerned and sent her son, Michael Daly, to look for Mary around the town.

He spoke to Thomas Nooney, who was employed at the post office.

The last people to have seen Mary were Thomas and Matthew Nooney, who had been fishing along the canal that afternoon.

According to Mr McKevitt, just down from that grass verge at the canal, Mary’s body was found by Michael Daly, John Lundy and Thomas Nooney: “Her clothes were tattered, especially her lower half of her body and there was a wound four inches long in front of her throat.”

Police reports at the time stated that “if outrage hadn’t accrued, it was at least attempted”.

Mary was murdered on the canal bank at age 32, and while 117 years have passed, the fear and impact of gender-based violence remain today.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner on the memorial walk, one of the organisers, Damien Rooney from Zero Tolerance, said: “We at Zero Tolerance have always been looking for something natural and part of our campaign. Mary Walker was a person who was murdered due to a gender-based crime, and we saw the connection between when that happened in 1909 and today.”

Zero Tolerance also covers domestic violence, Mr Rooney said: “In 117 years this problem hasn’t got any better, people are coming out more, back in the ’50s and ’60s, if you told someone that you were being domestically abused, they would say, ‘Well, go home and make your husband’s dinner’; people now realise that it’s not the way it has to be for so many people.”

Hazel Behan, founder of Éist – Saying No To Silence, spoke at the event: “My reasoning for being here this evening and honouring Mary is in a way to honour all victims and survivors of sexual violence. We are people, we are not just the victims of a crime.”

Ms Behan had said that the walk was to remember Mary Walker for the person she was: “The wonderful bright young woman she was, somebody who was ahead of her time. She wanted better for herself as a woman at that time in Ireland.

“I think it’s important for us as a community to stay together, because unfortunately, none of us is above sexual and gender-based violence.

“People who commit these crimes do not discriminate; they don’t care where you live, they don’t care how much money you have in the bank, they don’t care who you vote for.”

The gender violence campaigner said the event made a powerful statement: “We need to come together and say as a community we will not accept anything less than safety.

“One hundred and 17 years later and women are still afraid to walk this canal, women are still afraid to walk home by themselves after a few drinks, they’re afraid to take the bus by themselves.

“We always have a plan of action and that’s what we want to get rid of – woman should be free to go on a walk on a lovely July evening by themselves.”

Mr Rooney said a local authority motion in support of the Zero Tolerance campaign has been moved with the help of Cllr Julie McCourt: “The county councillors have always endorsed it,” he said.

Westmeath County Council are to place a commemorative bench at the spot on the Royal Canal where Mary Walker was murdered in 1909.

Cllr McCourt said: “In the weeks to come, the bench will serve as a place of reflection, a beacon for our commitment to a safer, kinder community.”

“We hope also to create a QR code with the Zero Tolerance logo to tell the story of Mary Walker, and also create a way where people can reach out if they are affected by situations of sexual, gender-based violence or domestic violence with phone numbers where they can contact services,” Mr Rooney added.

The walk served as an opportunity to come together as a community and show survivors that they are seen, heard and believed, as well as send a clear message that there is no place for violence, abuse, or intimidation.