'Didn't the sisters in Granard convent come to the conclusion that I was in the notion of entering the convent in Belfast!!!!'

'Didn't the sisters in Granard convent come to the conclusion that I was in the notion of entering the convent in Belfast!!!!'

Rosemary remembers making the decision to join a convent to become a nun. She talks about the guiding influence of a particular friend who was with the Mercy Order.

Rosemary McCloskey

Trinity College Dublin

1972

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Rosemary McCloskey

Work and Employment

Life Story

Belfast

1970's

Sr. M. Angela Deignan was very good to me that summer. She invited me to her home outside Granard for a week. We had a wonderful time of it travelling around Longford and Roscommon and seeing parts of the country I had never seen. I would accompany her to the convent for Mass each morning. Those were the days of the mini -skirts and I had two dresses, one pink and one black. The black one was a bit longer than the pink one, and so I wore it to Mass each morning. Didn't the sisters in Granard convent come to the conclusion that I was in the notion of entering the convent in Belfast!!!!I was shocked, for I had not really thought about this at all I knew that their lives appeared peaceful, ordered and happy and I liked that, but never for one minute dreamt that it would suit me. I returned home after the week and continued in better shape than I had been. I invited Sr. Angela up to our house for her tea the following Sunday evening and she accepted. I collected her and we had a lovely time with the family. When I was almost at the convent gate on the return journey, she asked me to stop the car and pull in as there was something she wanted to ask me. I could not understand this as we had talked ourselves silly all week long. However the question she put to me was a bit unexpected. She asked me if I was coming in! Just like that.I replied that I had been going in when she asked me to pull in and stop. She then said that I knew rightly what she meant, that she was asking me if I would consider joining the sisters of Mercy. She said it was time I did something worthwhile with my life and not procrastinate any longer. She also said she would not get out of the car until I gave her an answer.After a few minutes I gave her the answer she wanted and I could not tell you why I agreed. She said that she would arrange for me to meet with Mother Dolores Morton, the new superior, who was a lovely woman. I went back home and I remember that my mother was standing at the sink washing the dishes after the evening meal. I went out to the kitchen and told her that I was entering the convent. She looked round and said, 'Is this another of your daft notions? Have you told your father? 'I said that it was not a daft notion and that I would leave her to tell Daddy as I did not know how to approach the subject with him. She told him and he accepted that. He liked the nuns whom he met when he used to leave the other ones to school in the convent school.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)