Irish mom ‘still in the dark’ after daughter’s death in Montauk

“I don’t know what happened to my daughter.”

That’s what Elma Nolan told the Irish press days after her 33-year-old daughter, Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, was found dead aboard a boat docked at the Montauk Yacht Club early Tuesday morning.

The grieving mother said she is “numb with shock” and desperate for answers. According to the Irish Independent, she learned of her daughter’s death Tuesday night, but still doesn’t know what occurred on the boat where Martha was found.

The Irish Times reported that Elma Nolan and Nolan-O’Slatarra’s aunt Jacqui are now traveling to New York. Martha, according to the same report, had been scheduled to return to Ireland for a family visit this week.

While Suffolk police homicide investigators continue their investigation, tributes are pouring in from both sides of the Atlantic for the young entrepreneur, who grew up near Carlow and moved to New York in 2015 to build a life and business rooted in creativity and elegance.

A message posted by the Facebook group All About Carlow remembered Martha as someone who never forgot where she came from.

“Martha moved to New York at the age of 26, but she always remained deeply connected to her roots in Carlow,” the tribute read.

Nolan-O’Slatarra, who played soccer with Éire Óg GAA football club until she was 16, studied commerce at University College Dublin, before earning a master’s degree in digital marketing from UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, according All About Carlow.

In 2020, she launched her first brand, Out East Eyewear, offering luxury sunglasses with a thoughtful replacement service.

That early success led to the creation of East x East, a resortwear brand known for its clean lines and coastal elegance. Just this summer, she was celebrating the opening of a beachside pop-up at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa, sharing her excitement through her work and on social media.

Though she had relocated to New York, she never let go of the people and place that shaped her, All About Carlow wrote, noting that she still kept close ties with her Carlow friends — her “crew.”

“She lived with purpose, creativity, and grace,” the All About Carlow post continued. “Her loss will be felt deeply by all who knew her, here and abroad.”

Police said Nolan-O’Slattara was found unresponsive aboard a boat just after midnight Tuesday. CPR was attempted by Good Samaritans and first responders, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The boat she was found on remained docked at the yacht club on Thursday.

The cause of death will be determined by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office. So far, authorities have said that a preliminary examination has indicated that violence was not a contributing factor in her death.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Suffolk Homicide Squad detectives at 631.852.6392.

_{Top photo: (AP Photo/Peter Morrison); the inset photo is from Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s Threads account.}