Mary Murphy was born on 17 March 1867 in Island.

She was baptised shortly after on 23 March 1867 – her baptismal sponsors were Bernard Murphy and Mary Lynch.

Emigrating to the United States, Mary settled in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.

On 14 November 1886, she married Francis Riley (born c.1857) at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Newark.

Mary’s life was tragically brief. She passed away in Newark on 24 July 1891 at just 24 years of age, of pneumonia.