Youth in Limerick and education in Dublin and Paris (1818–1845) Hayes was baptised on 8 November 1818, in
St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick. She was born of humble
Anglo-Irish parentage at 4
Patrick Street,
Limerick. Her father was the musician Arthur Williamson Hayes; He organized funding for Hayes to have vocal training in Limerick. She then gave private performances for the local
Protestant Ascendancy.
The Age newspaper called Hayes' first concert in the Queen's Theatre, Melbourne, "a great event in our local history." After a tour through
Geelong and
Adelaide, she departed for Calcutta, where she disembarked in January 1855 and performed for the British colonial military there. Due to the poor economic situation in Calcutta, she left for Batavia (present-day Jakarta) and Singapore before returning to Australia, where she performed again in Sydney and Melbourne.
Later life (1856–1861) , London, pictured in 2014 She returned to England in August 1856, after an absence of five years. That year, she lost $27,000 by the failure of Saunders & Brennon of San Francisco. On 8 October 1857, at St. George's, Hanover Square, she married William Avery Bushnell. He soon fell into ill-health, and died at
Biarritz, France, on 2 July 1858, aged 35. She appeared at Jullien's promenade concerts at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1857, when her ballad singing, the branch of art in which lay her greatest power, was much applauded. After her husband's death she took part in concerts in London and the country towns. She died in the house of a friend, Henry Lee, at Roccles,
Upper Sydenham, Kent, on 11 August 1861, and was buried in
Kensal Green Cemetery on 17 August. Her will was proved on 26 August, the personalty being sworn under £16,000. == Missing portrait ==