Shock and sorrow at Martha’s death in NY State 

FUNERAL arrangements for a young Carlow woman who died on a yacht in Montauk, New York are not expected until the end of the week at the earliest.

Martha Nolan (33), originally from Monacurragh, Carlow, was found unresponsive on a boat in the exclusive Hamptons area of New York state on Tuesday morning, 5 August, just after midnight local time. Despite valiant efforts by those who rushed to help her, she was confirmed dead by the emergency services.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Martha’s body by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, which showed there were no visible signs of injury. Further tests are being carried out to establish the cause of her death, although police do not believe that there was foul play involved.

A death notice was published on rip.ie over the weekend, but no date for Martha’s funeral has been confirmed yet. A source said that they didn’t believe the funeral would take place before the end of this week, adding that it might be longer if there were complications involved.

She was also known as Martha Nolan O’Slatarra and was the daughter of Elma Nolan and older sister to Jacqui. The much-loved young woman was the granddaughter of Betty and Liam, cherished niece of John, Michelle, Barry and Mona and adored partner of Nick.

Martha had been living in Manhattan since moving to the United States about ten years ago. She was a successful businesswoman who ran her own clothing company East X East and had just set up a pop-up shop selling her own brand of swimwear and sunglasses in Montauk.

Her sudden death caused a huge reaction both in her home town of Carlow and in New York. Details about Martha’s life as a successful entrepreneur and her death were widely covered at home and in the American press, adding further distress for her family.

“The family come from a very private area of Carlow; they’re very private people,” a family friend, who did not want to be named, told The Nationalist.

Martha attended St Leo’s College and the Institute of Education, Leeson Street, Dublin before achieving a commerce degree from UCD and an MA in digital marketing from UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Principal of St Leo’s College Niamh Broderick remembered her as a “very bright and capable student”.

“We have very fond memories of her; she was a wonderful student. We were shocked and saddened by news of her death,” said Ms Broderick.

A neighbour from the Monacurragh area described her as a “lovely person, very bubbly”, while residents in Montauk where Martha had just set up a pop-up shop for East X East, remembered her as “friendly” and “always smiling”.

Tributes to Martha poured in on social media and rip.ie, where her death notice was published. She was described as ‘bubbly’, ‘gentle’, ‘beautiful inside and out’ and someone who ‘brought joy to those around her’.

One Carlow resident said: ‘I have fond memories of Martha as a child coming into our shop with her granny Betty. She was always a happy, confident, outgoing, loving child. No words of mine can ease the terrible deep pain and sadness that are in your hearts at this time. I can only imagine how devastated you are.’ 

Her devastated mother Elma is a teacher in Scoil Chonglais, Baltinglass, and several of her colleagues showed their support on rip.ie.

‘Elma, I am beyond heartbroken for you and your family at hearing the news of the passing of your beautiful daughter. You always spoke so highly of her and I always enjoyed your stories of her adventures and success,’ said one colleague, while another said how proud Elma was of both of her girls and that Elma had ‘lost her best friend’.

Over the weekend, Martha’s death was announced in Carlow cathedral, where her funeral will take place.

Her death notice said: ‘She will be sadly missed by her loving mother and her mother’s partner Patrick, sister, aunts, uncles, partner, her father Seamus, grandparents, extended family, relatives and her large circle of friends in Ireland and the USA’ and that funeral arrangements will published during the week.