THE FINAL WORDS of a young man who died on board the Titanic when it sank in 1912 has gone on display in Cork.

Jeremiah Burke was just 19 when he boarded the boat in Cobh, known then as Queenstown, in Co Cork to set sail for America but perished in the disaster along with 1,521 other passengers and crew members.

However at some point on the trip before the sinking Burke, from near Glanmire in Cork, had written a note and put it in a bottle, throwing it overboard. The bottle – with the note still intact inside – turned up a year later… on the coastline at Glanmire. It was passed on to his grieving relatives.

The note was headed with the date 10/4/1912 – four days before the ship sank. It had a simple message: “From Titanic. Goodbye all. Burke of Glanmire, Cork.”

Letter in a bottle from Titanic victim goes on display

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Message in a bottle
The note Jeremiah Burke wrote and cast overboard from the Titanic four days before he died. Image courtesy of Cobh Heritage Centre.
Message in a bottle
Jeremiah Burke who perished in the Titanic disaster 1912 - and whose note was washed ashore near his home a year later. Image courtesy of Cobh Heritage Centre.

Cobh Heritage Centre have put the message on display alongside their Titanic memorabilia collection. A spokesperson for the Centre told TheJournal.ie that they had received the precious souvenir from Jeremiah Burke’s relatives who still live in the area and added it to their Titanic exhibition in a special ceremony this week.

The Cobh Heritage Centre is planning a large range of events for next year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the terrible disaster of 14 April 1912.

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Message in a bottle

Message in a bottle

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.