Richard Dwyer ("victim" only in the Butte dailies of 10 Dec 1918; did not drown — see disambig)
family confidence: 0 — not family / context
**REVISED 2026-09-26 (Beara kin thread).** No Richard Dwyer drowned. The five men lost on the night of 11-12 Nov 1918 were Sean (a' Choill) O'Sullivan of Caolrua, Jer (Murt) McCarthy of Faunkil, John and Patie Murphy of Ballycrovane, and Robert O'Dwyer of Caolrua (Annals of Beara II pp. 270, 412-13; Riobard O Dwyer, "The Dream"; Norelene O'Dwyer, 3 Aug 2026). Two real Richards explain the error: Robert's brother Richard, who "went to America, and settled down there" (Norelene; Annals II p. 413: "Richie (or Dick) (Jan. 3rd 1903) went to the Calumet Mines, Michigan, in 1925, and from there to Butte, Montana"), and Robert's uncle Richard Dwyer of North Wyoming street, Butte, named as a survivor in the Butte Independent of 14 Dec 1918 p. 1 (p. 412 also has an older "Richie O'Dwyer [who] died in Butte at the age of 49"). The Anaconda Standard of 10 Dec 1918 attached that uncle's address to a second "cousin" victim. Death fields cleared. See research/docs/beara-kin-thread-2026-09-26.md. Earlier text kept below for the record. **REVISED 2026-05-29 per user + Oliver Murphy correction.** Reported in the 1918-12-10 Anaconda Standard as a second "cousin of James Murphy of the Hennessy store" drowned in the Nov 11 1918 Kilcatherine accident, with "an uncle on North Wyoming street and another uncle Mike Dwyer in Butte." The Annals of Beara Vol II p.412 (Riobárd Ó Dwyer) attests ONLY ONE O'Dwyer victim of that accident (Robert O'Dwyer of Caolrua, IRA Captain). There is no Richard Dwyer in the primary-source victim list. Per Oliver Murphy correction passed via the user 2026-05-29: the trans-Atlantic transmission of the drowning news produced a name-confusion where the Annals' **Patie Murphy of Ballycrovane** (the second Murphy victim, Apr 5 1895, son of Jim Murphy + Julia O'Sullivan per Annals p.270 section C) appears to have been re-reported in Butte as "Richard Dwyer." **Most likely truth**: This record is actually a misattribution of **Patie Murphy** (b. Apr 5 1895 d. Nov 11 1918 Pointe Ranna drowning), whose surname got swapped to Dwyer in the Butte coverage because Robert O'Dwyer (also a victim) was the family chain through which news traveled. Hold the record as historical-claim-documentation; do not treat as a real distinct Richard Dwyer.
Facts
Each fact shows how sure the archive is of it (0–100) and the sources it rests on.
- Birth:
- unknown date, Kilcatherine (parish) 10No source gives a birth for anyone of this name; the printed victim did not exist. If the record is re-pointed to Robert's uncle, a birth in Kilcatherine parish is plausible (a Dwyer uncle of a Caolrua man) but unrecorded.
- Residence:
- Kilcatherine (parish)
| Date | Fact | Conf. | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-12 | description · the printed name is most likely that of Robert O'Dwyer's uncle Richard Dwyer of North Wyoming street, Butte (Butte, Montana) Inference: the Standard gives its phantom exactly the uncles' details (an uncle on North Wyoming street and 'Mike, another uncle'), which the Butte Independent of 14 Dec 1918, p. 1 (not filed as a source; OCR text in research/docs/butte-independent-search-2026-09-26.md) gives as Robert's survivors, 'Richard in North Wyoming street and Michael Dwyer'. | 85 | 1918-12-10 — The Anaconda Standard, p.7 |
| 1918-12-10 | event · printed as drowned: 'Richard Dwyer, who leaves an uncle living on North Wyoming street, and Mike, another uncle, also of Butte' (Anaconda Standard); 'Richard and Robert Dwyer, also lost in the same accident, were cousins of James Murphy of the Hennessy company' (Butte Miner) (Butte, Montana) Confidence that he drowned. The Irish lists of the five dead (Annals p. 412; the 2018 article) have no Richard, and Robert's brother Richie (b. 1903) was in Ireland until 1925. | 2 | 1918-12-10 — The Anaconda Standard, p.7; 1918-12-10 — The Butte Miner, p.5; undated — Riobárd Ó Dwyer, "Who Were My Ancestors? Annals of Beara," Volume II; 2018 — Norelene O'Dwyer, 'The Ballycrovane Seine Fishing Tragedy, 1918', centenary article in the annual Christmas newsletter (Ardgroom/Eyeries), 2018 |
Nexus
Open the full web →blood relationmarriageother documented tienamed in the same sources (×count)circle colour = family branch
Appears with
- James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)3 shared sources
- Robert O'Dwyer (Caolrua, Kilcatherine, 1893-1918; drowned 12 Nov 1918; not a known cousin of JJM — see disambig)3 shared sources
- Jack Sullivan (= Sean a' Choill O'Sullivan of Caolrua, Kilcatherine, c. 1859-1918; drowned 12 Nov 1918)3 shared sources
- James M. McCarthy (Centennial Brewing, Butte)3 shared sources
- John Murphy (Ballycrovane, 1891–1918; drowned off Pointe Ranna; James's first cousin)1 shared source
- Patie (Patrick) Murphy (Ballycrovane, 1895–1918; drowned with his brother John; James's first cousin)1 shared source
Sources linking to this person
<25 — Namesake / flag / context — 3
- 1918-12-10 — The Anaconda Standard, p.7ONLY ONE SURVIVES IN PARTY OF SIXrole: drowning_victim · identity 100 family confidence on this source: 10 · as printed: Richard Dwyer
Identity: The record exists to document this printed name; the man as printed (a drowned cousin) did not exist. If re-pointed to the uncle, 85.
- 1918-12-10 — The Butte Miner, p.5M'CARTHY'S NEPHEW IS DROWNED NEAR IRELANDrole: drowning_victim · identity 100 family confidence on this source: 10 · as printed: Richard Dwyer
Identity: Same, from the Miner's shorter report.
- 1918-12-14 — The Butte Independent, p.1Irish Fishing Village Is Shrouded in Gloom of Sad Drowning Fatality.role: uncle_of_robert_dwyer_in_butte · identity 90 family confidence on this source: 0 · as printed: Richard in North Wyoming street
Identity: The Richard Dwyer whom the dailies of 10 Dec 1918 listed as a victim, with an uncle on North Wyoming street; here he is the uncle himself.