Help! Search for relatives of late Kilkenny woman who died without family in the UK

A search is on for relatives of a Kilkenny woman who has died in the UK without any known family. 

The local authority in a region of East Sussex, on the south east coast of England, is now planning a funeral for the woman and has made a plea to the people of Kilkenny to make a family connection.

The woman in question is Elizabeth Tomlins (née Murphy) who was known as Carmel. She passed away in a care home on St Patrick's Day, March 17, 2024, aged 84.

Carmel was predeceased by her husband Keith and they had no children. In her final years Carmel was in care with dementia. 

Carmel was born Elizabeth Murphy on July 19, 1939, in Kilkenny. The local authority know little about her younger years or when she moved to the UK.

Together with her husband Keith Tomlins, Carmel ran the now closed Lottbridge Arms in Eastbourne. Before this they are said to have run a series of pubs in Sussex and London.

From 2012-2017 she lived in Mountfield Road, Eastbourne, with her husband Keith who predeceased her in 2017.

Carmel died in Hailsham House care home on March 17. Before Hailsham House she was in Milton Grange care home.

A funeral for Carmel will be held at  Wealden Crematorium on 25 June. Anyone who can offer information on her Kilkenny relations can email: christina.martin@rother.gov.uk.