Author Topic: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?  (Read 16800 times)

Offline Neli

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Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« on: Saturday 14 December 13 00:31 GMT (UK) »
Also posted in the Cavan forum:
A bit complicated this one, I am struggling to get any family help because I get the impression the facts have been rather 'swept under the carpet' over the years. So much so, that even those who remember the events only remember a very vague picture, not I think, because they are hiding the truth but, rather because it has been all they themselves have ever known.
My Grandmother Mary Ann Donohoe (1911-1969) was the daughter Bernard Donohoe 1873-?) and Kate Gorman (1876-1912). Mary Ann's mother, Kate died when she was very young. I can't discover what happened to Bernard after this but, I believe an aunt of Mary Ann's came back from America to look after her however, 12 years later the house where they lived burnt to the ground and the Aunt was tragically killed. At this point Mary Ann was sent to St Louis Convent in Monaghan to be brought up by the Nuns.
If anybody reads or replys to this message I know you will be asking which Aunt? When did she go to or come back from America, I don't know!!!!!
That is where the vagueness kicks in :-(
Also, although it would be frowned upon maybe today, it was certainly common enough practice then for the family of such children to step in and take over the upbringing of an orphan and I am also puzzled to know why this did not happen in my Grandmothers case. I have never been forward enough to confront my elderly Irish relatives with this question but, on skirting around it, I am met with the wall of vagueness.
As far as I can find Mary Ann had a maternal Aunt who was her Mothers twin sister,she married somebody Lynch of Kilcogy and lived until she was 95. She also had 2 maternal Uncles, Patrick and Terrence who I do not know much about as yet.
On her Paternal side she had a further 2 Aunts, Ann and Mary and an Uncle John.
What I am most interested to know is, what would the Convent in Monaghan have been like for her as an orphan who lived and was brought up there and why was she sent there.
I also have about a million other questions about this whole area of vague family history and would be delighted if anyone could help even a little.
Nolan, Donohoe, O'Neill, McNally, O'Reilly

Offline Neli

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #1 on: Saturday 14 December 13 00:36 GMT (UK) »
Should probably have mentioned these events took place in and around the Kilcogy/Granard area of Cavan ::)
Nolan, Donohoe, O'Neill, McNally, O'Reilly

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #2 on: Saturday 14 December 13 09:49 GMT (UK) »
Link to post on CAVAN board:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=670871.new#new

There are lots of possible reason why Mary Ann would have been sent away to the convent- perhaps she was quite ill (or injured) after the fire and she went to the nuns to be cared for, perhaps there was a family connection to the convent (someone in the family a nun there?), etc.- but often it wasn't possible for relatives to care for young children (lack of money, poor living conditions, too many children of their own).

From the details you've posted this could be Kate's family in 1901-
www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Cavan/Kilcogy/Kilcogy/1050440

Gorman family in 1911-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Cavan/Kilcogy/Kilcogy/347812/
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #3 on: Saturday 14 December 13 10:22 GMT (UK) »
Marriage: Bernard Donohoe, July/Sept.1910 Grnard registration district, volume 3 page 127
Catherine Gorman on same page

Closest match I can find in 1911 is this one (married under 1 year which fits) but Bernard a good bit older than you indicated-
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Cavan/Derrin/Lisnananagh/337928/
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!


Offline Neli

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 14 December 13 10:26 GMT (UK) »
Yes that is Kate's family, I have that link myself :-)
I am still unsure, the money part doesn't seem to ring true as from what I can make out the family as a whole were reasonably well off, (all land owning farmers) .
You may be right about the link to the Convent though as I have discovered one of Bernard's sisters, Ann, married a John Enright in Cavan who was meant to be quite wealthy. They lived in Cavan town along with their nephew Peter. [The story being that they could have no children of their own so Ann's brother John who had lots, sent them one of his to bring up as their own]. Peter did very well and went on to be a Priest.
I discovered that one of the teachers at the convent at the time (and probably a Nun although I haven't confirmed this) was an Eveleen Enright. I have not managed to establish any link between her and John but, it is an unusual name in both those parts of Ireland at that time which made me wonder.
The idea that Mary Ann was ill or injured is an interesting one that I had not previously considered, but, again, there is nothing in the oral history to indicate this although I realise this doesn't exclude the possibility. Hmmmm!
Nolan, Donohoe, O'Neill, McNally, O'Reilly

Offline Neli

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #5 on: Saturday 14 December 13 10:28 GMT (UK) »
I have a couple of accounts of Bernard's age and his age varies wildly between the two, I took a best fit :-)
Nolan, Donohoe, O'Neill, McNally, O'Reilly

Offline Neli

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 14 December 13 10:32 GMT (UK) »
What puzzles me most about that census return is that Bernard's brother John seems to be 55 and living with them with no sign of a wife or dozens of children. This does not fit with the oral history at all. I have not managed to pin John down to anywhere else but, can only wonder if he was only spending the night with his brother or perhaps he was a late bloomer!
Nolan, Donohoe, O'Neill, McNally, O'Reilly

Offline Merry-go-Round

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #7 on: Saturday 14 December 13 11:21 GMT (UK) »
There was also a boarding school at St. Louis Convent, Monaghan and girls went there from age 12/13. Possibly your grandmother went there to be educated. I think the orphanage was known as St. Martha's which was part of St. Louis.

Mairead

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Sent to a convent in Monaghan, why?
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 14 December 13 11:21 GMT (UK) »
If the family home burnt down and the aunt died as a result the it would have been a very tramatic time for Mary Ann (as well as the family being homeless) so perhaps it was felt best to send Mary Ann away for a while, she settled in there well or father felt unable to care for her on his own, and she stayed there for a number of years.

Have you tried checking to see if there would be any records for her stay there?
http://chooseireland.com/monaghan/st-louis-convent-heritage-centre/
http://stlouismonaghan.com/School%20History.htm
These pictures will give you an idea of what it looked like-
http://archiseek.com/2009/st-louis-convent-monaghan-co-monaghan/#.Uqw-wdJdWcc
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!