Known as:

Bridget, but preferred Beatrice

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1888

Place of Birth:

Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland. Emigrated to Glasgow in approx 1890.

Date of Death:

1943

Place of Death:

Glasgow, Scotland

Nationality:

British

Occupation:

Domestic

Marital Status:

Divorced from Louis Brash

Parents:

James Cunningham, Jane McNelis

Children:

Bertha, Herbert, William, David, Stanley.

Comments:

Raised David and Stan after Louis left her. Worked as a "charlady", much to David's shame.

Siblings included, James, John, William, Conal, Annie, Jean (aka Jane) and Mary. Her older brother John Conaghan, died at Gallipoli on 16/8/1915. His death is recorded in the Commonwealth Graves website.

Bridgit and her children lived quite near her sister's family, the Kellys in New City Rd. They spent holidays together on the Isle of Bute in a cottage (known as a but'n'ben) in Port Bannatyne, which Bridgit persuaded Jean to take on a long lease, and they went there for many years until it was requisitioned for evacuees in 1939. It's now part of the Royal Hotel. She was very active in the Communist Party of Great Britain and was one of the leaders of the famous Glasgow Rent Strikes in the early 1920's.

Married Louis on 20 th August 1907, but it is unclear where they married or when she moved to Scotland. Died of stomach cancer.

Her sister, Jean, married John Kelly and had at least 4 children, John, James, George and Winnifred. Her oldest sister, Mary, married an O'Gara and had at least 4 children, Eva, Maisie, James and May.

[Additional information received in August 2004 from her sister's (Jean Kelly) grandchildren, Patricia Anna Atkinson and Mike Kelly]

Pictures:

Bridget

Her sister, Jean, in 1965.