Mary Dynan
- Childhood and Early Life
- Adolescence and Early Adulthood
- Marriage and Family
- Work and Employment
- Retirement
- Reflections
Description
This exhibit showcases the life stories, images and documents of Mary Dynan. Mary was born and reared in Cloughmills, Co. Antrim in the 1940's. Her stories provide a rich and entertaining account of life in Cloughmills and the landscape and culture of Co. Antrim. In particular, Mary describes the Gaelic culture and folklore associated with Antrim with reference to Irish music and song.
Mary attended St. Louis Secondary school in Kilkeel and she shares her many memories of this time with particular reference to a class trip to France in 1952.
After completing her secondary school education Mary decided to join the Novitiate and became a St. Louis nun. Her primary profession was second level teaching and she also did some lecturing at third level too. However, Mary's life had many twists and turns which are vividly captured in this exhibit. After she decided to leave her religious vocation, Mary met and fell in love wth Muredach whom she later married. This marked the beginning of another great adventure which brought Mary to Australia and back again.
Credits
McTiernan, K. & O'Donnell, D. (2012) Life Histories Archive, http://www.lifehistoriesarchive.com/exhibits/show/mary-dynan
Sections
Childhood and Early Life
This section of the exhibit provides stories, images and documents from Mary's childhood and early life. Mary describes Cloughmills, the Co. Antrim village she was born and reared in. She reflects upon her love of Co. Antrim and she describes the many characters in her family.
Adolescence and Early Adulthood
This section exhibits the life stories, documents and images which describe Mary's adolescence and early adulthood. Mary attended St. Louis Secondary School in Kilkeel, Co. Down. This was a Catholic boarding school run by the St. Louis order. Mary shares some of her memories of those days, in particular a class trip to France. She also reflects upon her decision to join the Novitiate and become a St. Louis nun.
Marriage and Family
This section of the exhibit details Mary's marriage and family life. Shortly after Mary decided to leave the St. Louis Order she met her future husband, Muredach. They married in 1972 and Mary describes their wedding day. Together, Mary and Muredach have travelled extensively and they spent a number of years living and working in Australia.
Work and Employment
This section exhibits the life stories, images and documents of Mary that are related to her working life. Mary's primary occupation was as a teacher. She trained for this profession while at the Novitiate. She has taught at both second and third level.
Retirement
In this section of the exhibit Mary reflects upon her retirement from teaching. She describes the many hobbies and interests that she has pursued in her retirement. Of particular note, is her interest in Irish culture and language as well as in writing and her family geneology.
Reflections
The life stories and images in this section of the exhibit provide some insights and wisdom that Mary has obtained through her life's journey. Mary reflects upon her love of County Antrim where she was born and reared. She also describes her interest in Irish culture and language as something which has carried her forward in her life. She reflects upon the role of religion in her life and the values she obtained and cultivated throughout her journey. This section also contains a letter that Mary wrote to her 16 year old self. In this letter Mary integrates the many twists and turns of her life course and in this way finds a deeper meaning and purpose.