Detail of Patrick O’Brien’s marker. [2012, Dunlap]
Patrick O’Brien (1834-1864). I don’t know much about Patrick O’Brien, other than the fact that he immigrated from County Tipperary and, in 1855, married Mary Bannard. His death in 1864 at the age of 30 might suggest he was a Civil War casualty, but he is not listed on the Memorial to the Fallen in the Great Rebellion in Gifford Cemetery. His importance here is to illustrate that the earliest cohort of Roman Catholics in Provincetown was largely Irish. Even in O’Brien’s final years, there was no church as such, and no resident priest. Instead, Provincetown was a mission of the Diocese of Boston. Masses were celebrated by visiting priests in a parish house at 119 Bradford Street. Many records are missing from this time, but it could be that the Rev. James A. Healy administered the Last Rites to the young O’Brien.
The full inscription. [2012, Dunlap]
In memoriam
• Find a Grave Memorial No. 170934867.
¶ Last updated on 14 December 2021.