Dublin People - Remembering last days of the Loreto

Home

News

Motoring

Remembering last days of the Loreto

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

A fascinating documentary on a ground breaking Southside college has just been completed and will aired later this month.
The recent shock closure of Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham will be the subject of a two part series entitled ‘School’s Out - Loreto Abbey Closes Down’ to be broadcast by Dundrum based Dublin South 93.9FM.
When Dublin woman Teresa Ball started Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in 1822, along with a free school for poor girls who couldn't afford an education, she was going against the accepted social norms which dictated that a woman's place was strictly in the home.
Not only was it considered that education for women was both unnecessary and wasteful it was even thought that women were incapable of being educated.
About the documentary, chief producer Mike Purcell said: “In our modern affluent ‘free primary and secondary education’ post-Celtic tiger Ireland, it's difficult to grasp how radical Loreto Abbey was when it was established in the 1820s.
“In this documentary series, we investigate her heroic story and also how she started a model of education that was truly pioneering and innovative, giving her students all the practical skills they'd need to cope in their ‘male-dominated’ world of that era.”

He added: “What we nowadays take for granted was in those days a bold pioneering step into the unknown by a brave woman to give Irish women more opportunity. She revolutionised education for women in Irish society, and through that Irish society itself. This documentary pays tribute to her heroic achievement.”
Also in the series, many sisters recount their memories of living in the Abbey when it was bustling with activity. For example, in the first part Sr Annunciato and Sr Marie Anthony, both now in their 90s, reminisce about what it was like when they first arrived to Loreto Abbey in 1934 to begin their training for the religious life.
Sr Marie Anthony recalled: “There was no hot water to wash, the water was always cold. But you took that for granted. There was no mat beside the bed to keep your feet warm from the freezing cold floor, but you took that for granted also. It was a very austere life in every way. There was a great deal of austerity which the outside facade would never hint at. You certainly didn't become a nun back then for the material comforts it provided. But we didn't mind at all. We were young and extremely happy.”
In part 2 Sr Noelle recounts her own humorous memories of living in the abbey.
“When I entered the abbey in the 1970s, the amazing thing was we lived at the very top of the church in what was called the top dome. There were 105 steps from the top to the bottom, so if you forgot your hanky, you just did without it rather than kill yourself running back up again.”
Producer Mike Purcell found it was a real journey of discovery to work on the documentary.
“The nuns I interviewed were inspirational,” he said. “They gave education to so many girls down the years and looked for nothing in return. They were just content within themselves to know they did their best to help others reach their full potential. I'm talking about heroic selfless women such as Sr Annunciato, Sr Marie Anthony, Sr Noelle and their many colleagues who feature in this series. These women gave their all and in my opinion they should be awarded some medal of honour to acknowledge their selfless sacrifice for the betterment of others.”
The series also throws light on some of the Abbey's more famous residents including Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It's not too well known that the Nobel prize winning nun spent some time training in the Abbey before she went on the missions to Calcutta in India. Sr Noelle recounts in the documentary: “... she came back quite often. In 1993 when she visited Ireland, we asked would she come out. She herself decided she would. She wanted to visit the sick in our nursing home. She got so enthusiastic about meeting people.”
The Dublin South FM documentary on Loreto Abbey will broadcast on Dublin South 93.9 FM each Wednesday at 4pm beginning February 20 for two consecutive weeks; and also on Dublin City 103.2 FM each Thursday at 11am beginning February 21 for two consecutive weeks.

Comfort and space with Hyundai’s cross wagon

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Obviously something small like a foot rest is unlikely to help you make up your mind when buying a new motor, but it may be important long term. I've been testing the Hyundai i30CW recently...
+ Full Story

SEAT Ibiza wins German Golden Steering Wheel

Thursday, 27 November 2008

The Ibiza was judged overall winner in the category by a panel made up of technicians and drivers, as well as staff members and the readership of the ‘Bild am Sonntag’ magazine. During...
+ Full Story

Industry issues warning as car sales continue to plummet

Thursday, 27 November 2008

THE Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has released figures for new car sales for October that show a continuing downward trend. New cars sold in October 2008 (1,748) were down 54.59 per...
+ Full Story

Jaguar XF picks up Scottish award

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Bill Caven, President of the ASMW, described the new XF as “an extremely impressive beast in more ways than one”. “It not only looks strikingly different from anything currently...
+ Full Story