NURSING PALS RE UNITED
OUR LADY OF LOURDES HOSPITAL NURSES MEET UP AGAIN AFTER 45 YEARS AT SCHOLAR’S TOWNHOUSE HOTEL
A GROUP of nurses who trained together in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in the 1970s met in Scholar’s Townhouse recently for their 45 year reunion.
A total of 34 started their training together back on February 19th, 1973 from all corners of Ireland alongside one girl from Kenya whose father was a doctor over there. Despite many having lost touch over the years, 23 of the group were united once again when they met on March 10th.
Maria Callaghan explained how the reunion came about: ‘ A couple of the girls had passed away over the years and it was when we were at the funeral of the third girl that myself and Marie Winters got chatting and we said look we should really have a reunion.
‘It took about six months to organise it because people were all over the world but we did manage to contact everyone. People give out about Facebook but it’s a great resource when you’re trying to find people. One girl is running a nursing home in England, she was in Barbados so she couldn’t come, another girl lives in Sydney and she couldn’t make it but she’ll be home at the end of May so we’re hoping to meet up with her then.’
However, many others travelled from all corners of the globe including Boston, Ottawa in Canada, Philadelphia, Kent, Scotland and London.
While some have since left the profession and are working in other areas like teaching, the majority spent their careers in nursing.
Maria and seven others continued working at Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda after completing their training.
The reunion in Scholars was like stepping back in time, said Maria, with everyone reminiscing on the good old times and chatting about their lives.
‘We were only 18 when we started and we were all living in St Theres’s nursing residence so when you’d come off duty, put your dressing gown on, have a cup of tea and talk about what happened that day. We grew up together really and we were so close.
‘It was just such a fantastic night, we had two tables and Scholars looked after us so well. It was a magical weekend, we were all swapping stories all night long and Marie Winter’s daughter had organised a slideshow with old photos so that was playing in the background.’
A number of the nuns who would have trained the girls also attended the event and one of those now living in Australia phoned during the reunion to chat to all her old classmates.
The following day the group met in the Laurence Town Centre and visited Mother Mary Martin’s Museum in the convent where they were treated to Afternoon Tea afterwards.
‘Mother Mary’s museum was fantastic, she was such an amazing woman I don’t think we’ll see the like of her again. The whole thing went so well, it was just wonderful. I can’t believe it’s all over but we’re all on email and What’s App now so there’s no excuse, we’re going to keep in touch. If someone comes home out of the blue we can meet up with whoever can make it. We definitely won’t leave it so long the next time.’