Mayo women featured in National Museum project on community midwives
PEOPLE in Co. Mayo are being invited to contribute stories and memories about community midwives in the 19th and 20th century as part of a project led by the National Museum of Ireland.
The stories can be submitted to a national history and heritage archive, available at https://ouririshheritage.org/.
The lives and contributions of some Mayo nurses and midwives have already been incorporated into an ongoing exhibition and events programme exploring the history of rural midwifery at the National Museum in Turlough Park.
“We’d like to hear from more people in Co. Mayo and across Ireland to further expand on this community-led historical research into midwifery,” explained Lorna Elms, iCAN development officer with the National Museum.
“Community midwives provided a vital network of healthcare provision for women in rural Ireland - sustaining the lives of mothers and babies during birth - often in very challenging conditions. The exhibition and archive project acknowledges and celebrates their contributions.”
Members of Historical Ballinrobe and Louisburgh & Killeen Heritage have already contributed research to the project.
The groups are part of the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN) - an initiative by the National Museum of Ireland, the Heritage Council and participating local authority heritage officers across Ireland.
Mary O’Malley from Louisburgh & Killeen Heritage is set to deliver a talk on her research on the topic at the National Museum in Turlough Park to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8.
Mary will talk about Sr. Bernadette MacNally, who entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1958, and enjoyed a long and exemplary nursing career before eventually retiring in 2008.
To hear from Mary O’Malley and other local historians from around Ireland on their research into community midwives, visit https://www.museum.ie/ and book a place at the upcoming event for International Women’s Day on March 8. Alternatively, telephone (094) 9031751 or email BookingsCountryLife@museum.ie.
Visit the exhibition at Turlough Park or ouririshheritage.org to contribute your own stories or memories of midwives in your area.