1956 Poor Clare nuns from Cork, Ireland

Pictured here are the Poor Clare nuns of Blantyre. These are the original five nuns who travelled from Cork, Ireland on an overnight trip and settled at Thornhill, Blantyre. From left to right they are Sister Terese, Sister Jarlath, Mother Columba, Sister Paschal and Sister Veronica. Pictured here in 1956, a few years after they arrived in Blantyre.

Gabriele Black who visited Blantyre in March 2015, contacted me looking for more information on the nuns. I hope this is of some interest.

During the lifetime of St. Clare the Order spread rapidly and today there are over 20,000 Poor Clares covents in 75 countries.

This Community was founded from Cork in 1952 when Mother Columba (Abbess), and Sisters Veronica, Thérèse, Paschal and Jarlath came to Blantyre. They were welcomed into the Diocese by Bishop Douglas, the first Bishop of Motherwell. Mgr. Ashe and the Priests of St. Joseph’s Parish, Blantyre, made the sisters very welcome and one of them came to celebrate Mass at 7 o’clock every morning in their new home, Thornhill, Blantyre which had been acquired from the Kelly family of footballing Celtic fame.

Gradually some new sisters joined the Community and in 1973 they moved to a new purpose built Monastery attached to St. Bride’s Church in Bothwell where they were made most welcome by Frs. Houlihan and Allison and many of the Parishioners.

You can read about the history of Thornhill here https://blantyreproject.com/2014/12/08/1919-francis-kelly-thornhill/