Caitlin Burke

Biography
Caitlin Siela Burke (b. March 3, 1862) was an American prostitute who worked at the Tiff and Tawny Saloon in Redington, Arizona Territory. She was of Irish decent and grew up in a household that still spoke Gaeilge, allowing her to converse with immigrant Maeve MacKenna upon her arrival in Redington.

Caitlin took Maeve under her wing, teaching her English while treating her much like a younger sister. She even encouraged the girl to abandon her job at the saloon for the more lucrative position of prostitute, which Maeve always refused.

When Caitlin's common-law husband, Rafaele Forino returned to town following the death of his father-figure, he was taken by the newcomer's appearance and the two entered an affair. Unaware that Caitlin was his wife, Maeve shared details about their relationship with Caitlin as a confidant. It was likely due to her rapport with Maeve that Caitlin spared her the embarrassment of exposing her to the truth; however she had no hesitation directly challenging Rafaele about his part in the dalliance when Maeve was not around.

As it became clear she was losing her husband, Caitlin swore she would not give up on their marriage until she died.

Etymology
Caitlin (pronounced [ˈkatʲlʲiːnʲ]) is the Irish form of Cateline--the Old French form of Katherine --stemming from the Greek name Αἰκατερίνη (Aikaterine). The etymology is debated: it could derive from an earlier Greek name Ἑκατερινη (Hekaterine), itself from ἑκάτερος (hekateros) meaning "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the goddess Hecate; it could be related to Greek αἰκία (aikia) meaning "torture"; or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek καθαρός (katharos) meaning "pure", and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.

The name was borne by a semi-legendary 4th-century saint and martyr from Alexandria who was tortured on a spiked wheel. The saint was initially venerated in Syria, and returning crusaders introduced the name to Western Europe.