1870: a Deaf beggar woman, Mary McQuaid, is hit by a train between Dromore and Fintona, Co Tyrone. She later died in Omagh. She was 70 years old. At her inquest, some very interesting information about her life. [The newspaper article doesnt mention her education - I cannot find any evidence she was in a Deaf school, though there was an Anthony McQuaid from Tyrone who went to Cabra in 1852. Her deaf brother or cousin perhaps?]
Mary depended on charity but was apparently never in the workhouse. She had lived in Cornamuckla, with a woman named Ellen McGuigan but had gone "back and forward to other houses for the last 14 years". Ellen could not say if there was ever a relationship between them (I assume this means a family relationship) but Mary "always claimed friendship" with her. Ellen's maiden name was McQuaid so they may have been cousins. Most interestingly, Mary used signs. She signed to Ellen that she was going to Omagh, and that she had signs for different signs for different towns.
**The sign for Omagh was near the neck - "meaning that was where people were hanged".**
Public execution did take place in Omagh Prison - the last public hanging was in 1860 although hangings within the gaol continued until about 1880 (see https://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/tyrone/A1007498.shtml). It is very likely that Mary McQuaid saw a public execution before 1860 and associated this with the town - creating a new placename sign.
