Rosaleen ‘Rosie’ HYLAND (1910 – 1997)

Known as Rosie and later Rose, the youngest of the children of Patrick and Mary Teresa (Egan) HYLAND, was born 21 November 1910 at Monard, Cork. Rosie was born four days short of 21 years after the birth of their first child, Mollie.

According to the parish records of the North Cathedral, Rosie was baptised at the church in Blarney on 24 November 1910. Rosie’s birth was not state registered until two and a half months later. Why was this? In actual fact, Rosie was baptised on 22nd November at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Blarney, as ‘Rose Helena’. Perhaps the delay in registering her birth was in settling on her actual name! Her older sister Catherine ‘Katty’ was one of her baptismal sponsors.[1]

Rosie was only thirteen years old when her mother died.

She was confirmed at the North Cathedral in 1924.

Rosie would have attended St. Vincent’s convent school on St. Mary’s Road.

The surviving Hyland children, excepting Mollie (Birmingham), Michael (married, Thurles) lived together at the family home at 30 Dublin Street until their deaths.

With her siblings all working Rosie was the family housekeeper, although it’s not known if that was by choice. It may have accounted for her demeanour. Rosie was described by a niece as ‘odd as two left feet.  Didn’t like having children around.’ Another said ‘Rosie was the snappy one‘ and ‘a moaner.’ I met Rosie briefly in 1980 and she did not exude warmth. A grand niece described the house at Dublin St. as ‘shining.’

Sadly, nothing was known of Rosie’s life and interests.

Rosie lived alone for five years after the death of her sister Bridget in 1991.

Rosie’s demise was horrific. She suffered a home invasion and serious assault in 1996. The lights to the front of the house had first been smashed. Rosie was described in newspaper articles as a “crippled woman”, requiring a walking frame to walk, and a “former housekeeper” who was “almost bedridden.” She was found in a pool of blood in her kitchen, having sustained what was described as a “savage beating” with deep cuts to her legs.

Following the assault Rosie moved into a care home and died a year later.  

The following are snippets of the newspaper coverage.

Irish Independent Wed March 13 1996

An Irish Examiner report on Wed March 13^th reported Gardai (police) were carrying out house-to house enquiries.

The Irish Times:

The gardai found two suspects who lived locally, Thomas Walsh and Martin Hurley. [2]

Irish Examiner Nov 5 1996

The pair pleaded not guilty.

Rosie did not live to see justice done, dying just weeks before the case went to court. The following article from the Irish Examiner of April 30th 1997 reports the gardai account of finding Rosie.

Despite the Judges call for the jurors to return it appears there was some legal wrangling preventing from the case continuing that day.

Irish Examiner Thurs May 1 1997

The following from an Irish Examiner article of Thursday 20^th November 1997 shows that, while awaiting trial on bail for Rosie’s attack, Martin Hurley (25) had assaulted an elderly man about the head with an iron bar. 

Martin Hurley (25) was sentenced to four years for the assault and robbery of Rosie. 

I have not been able to find reportage of the sentence handed to Thomas Walsh.

On Tues April 28^th, 2015 the Irish Examiner carried another story about Martin Hurley, by then aged 43, of 190 Farranferris Ave.  He was sentenced to four and a half years for the robbery of an elderly man on his way home from the pub, knocked to the ground on Roman St. on December 30^th, 2014, for €40.00.  The article noted Hurley had been abusing drugs and alcohol for 20 years.

Death

Rosaleen ‘Rosie’ HYLAND died on the 17th April 1997, aged 86 years at St Patrick’s Hospital.

The cause of Rosie’s death was carcinoma right breast, 5 years, and bony mets (metastasis).

Rose Helena, Rosaleen, great aunt Rosie was the last of that generation of the Hyland family.

Niece Breda read at Rosie’s funeral and her afters were held at Glen Rovers hurling club where her brothers had been so involved.

Rosie is buried at Rathcooney cemetery, Glanmire with some of her siblings.

Rosie left 30 Dublin Street to the neighbours.

[1] This seems further evidence that oldest sister Mollie was no longer in the area, by November 1910.

[2] I have named Rosie’s attackers as their names are in the public domain.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/woman-punched-by-night-raiders-1.35804