A sad tale this week in the Heenan In The News series where I share interesting titbits I’ve discovered in old newspapers.
This report comes from The Freeman’s Journal on 6 May 1884.

KILLED BY A FALL

At one o’clock yesterday the City Coroner held an inquest at Mercer’s Hospital on he body of a little boy named Patrick Heenan who died in the Hospital on Saturday evening. The mother stated that he was in her room, on the third floor of a house in Castle-street. Deceased was playing on the lobby. Witness heard a sound as of a fall, and running out found that the little fellow had fallen over the bannisters to the ground, a distance of some forty feet. The father expressed a belief that the deceased and the other children were sliding on the bannisters, for which he had frequently reproved them. Dr Griffin, Resident Surgeon, stated that deceased died from fracture of the skull. There were three distinct fractures. A verdict of “accidental death” was returned.

Unfortunately there are few clues about the identity of this child. Neither his father or mother’s names are given in the report. The only clue is the address of Castle Street. But there is no family by that name at the address at the time of the 1901 census.

Looking at births of Patrick Heenan, there is one possibility which is a child born in 1879 (that would make him 4 or 5 years old at the time of his death). This child was born on 6 March at number 5 Wood Street in Dublin South to John Heenan, a labourer and his wife Charlotte (maiden name of Mack). The birth was registered in the registration district of Dublin South.

Baptism records available at findmypast.com indicate the child was baptised on 10 Mar 1879 at St. Nicholas’ (Without), Dublin City. The mother’s maiden name in this record is transcribed as McEvoy.

There are  records of  other children born to this family where the mother’s maiden name is again given as McEvoy (familysearch transcribed this as McLory).

• Mary Jane Heenan, born 27 May 1874, baptised at St Nicholas on 01 Jun 1874. Family address given as 5 Wood Street
• Catherine Heenan, born 5 September 1875 to John Heenan and Catherine and baptised at St Nicholas on 10 September. The  family’s address is 4 Wood Street.

Sources:

The Freeman’s Journal, Dublin, 6 May 1884 page 3. Accessed via newspapers.com

Index of births, Ireland . Entry for Patrick Heenan, Registration number 10004657. Accessed via  irishgenealogy.ie.

Roman Catholic baptisms, Entry for Patrick Heenan. Accessed via findmypast.com – original record available at https://registers.nli.ie//registers/vtls000633640#page/1/mode/1up

Register of baptisms, St Nicholas, Dublin. Entry for Catherine Heenan, page 63 entry 993. Entry for Mary Jane Heenan on page Original record available via  https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/