One of the projects of Abbey Heritage in 2024 is to record for posterity the names, and as many details as come to light, of the wonderful women who provided midwifery assistance to expectant mothers in this area when home births were the norm. Records of these ladies show that they operated during the 19th and the early 20th centuries and although many had no formal nursing training they learned the skills of child birth from those women who had gone before them. In her book ‘An Bhean Ghlúine’, which translates as ‘Woman of the Knee’, Emma Laffey of Skehana Heritage refers to them as ‘Handywomen’ and they worked in every village throughout the country.
The idea for this project came about following an invitation from the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life – to the 36 Heritage Groups in the iCAN network to participate in researching midwives in their area. Each Heritage Group was invited to present details of their research on the career of one midwife from their area and in total 22 groups in iCAN have come forward and volunteered to participate in the Midwifery Project which will be launched by the National Museum later this year.
Abbey Heritage nominated Nurse Gret Martin for the National Museum Project
Nurse Gret Martin – Photo courtesy: Ms Joan Martin USA
The nomination for the National Museum project from Abbey Heritage was Nurse Gret Martin (née Felle) and we are indebted to Joan Martin, daughter of Nurse Martin, for the detailed information on her mother’s career that she was able to give us albeit from her home in California! We invite you to read Nurse Martin’s very interesting story here
Other Midwives who provided Midwifery Services in the Abbey Area
A Family Tradition – 3 Generations – Martin, Hutchinson, Slattery Midwives
We met with Michael Wright from the UK in 2016 when he came to Abbey for the funeral of his mother Mary Slattery. Mary, who grew up in Abbey and whose parents lived here all of their lives, had been a nurse in England for many years. She always expressed a wish to be buried in Abbey in the family plot in Kilnalahan cemetery and Michael was carrying out her wishes.
In August 2016, Michael visited the cemetery again for the annual Mass in memory of all those who are buried there. It was on this occasion that he met with local people and he was both surprised and delighted that so many had memories of his ancestors. One elderly woman said to him “you know all your ancestors were the midwives in the area”. This prompted Michael to research and write the story of his family ancestors who provided great assistance to expectant mothers at a time when home deliveries of babies were commonplace. You can read Michael’s article here
Bridget Martin
Bridget Martin Madden – Photo courtesy: Joan Hutchinson Comer USA
Michael’s great, great grandmother was Bridget Martin, who was always known by her maiden name, common practice at that time, and she was listed as a nurse on the 1901 Irish Census, and a resident of No 7 Abbeyville, Abbey, Co Galway. She married J Madden. From research it is reasonable to assume that Bridget would have served the Abbey and District area as a midwife throughout the mid to late 1800s. Bridget died in 1914 and one year previously she had been photographed in the Irish Independent of 12 September 1913, under the heading A Galway Centenarian. At that time Bridget’s daughter Mary had been married to John Hutchinson and they lived with Bridget in the house in Abbeyville, Mary looking after her mother, Bridget, until her death in 1914.
Mary Hutchinson
Mary Madden Hutchinson – Photo courtesy: Joan Hutchinson Comer USA
In many areas of life, when educational opportunities were limited, it was usual for parents to hand on skills they had developed to their children. And so Bridget Martin passed on the skills of midwifery to her daughter Mary who carried on the role of midwife during her lifetime, serving Abbey and District. She was known as ‘Grandma’ Hutchinson in the locality.
It is interesting that the two mounted photographs Abbey Heritage received of these two wonderful ladies are in the possession of Joan Hutchinson Comer, in America. Joan is a cousin of Michael Wright’s mother and it would appear that both pictures were taken by the photographer who visited the Hutchinson home to record Bridget Martin’s centenary in 1913.
The Hutchinson family later moved to a newly-built cottage in Abbey village, Mary continuing to work in the local area as a charwoman and midwife.
Bridget Slattery
Bridget Hutchinson Slattery – Photo Courtesy: Michael Wright UK
Mary Madden Hutchinson had seven children, one of whom, Bridget Slattery, continued to live in the cottage and it was this Bridget who continued the midwifery role in the area helping so many women during the birth of their babies. Her daughter, Josie recalls on one occasion hearing that her mother had to deliver a baby in a field so perhaps not all births were home births!
The Tradition Continued
Mary Slattery Wright
Mary Slattery Wright – Photo courtesy: Michael Wright UK
Times and opportunities improved and Bridget Slattery’s daughter Mary with some of her other siblings moved to England to train as nurses. And so that long tradition of nursing and providing care to the community continued!
Other Midwives who delivered babies in the Abbey Area
Nurse Margaret Mullin of Woodford
Margaret Mullin, Cothill, Woodford was originally Margaret Hanley from the Tuam area. Margaret was born in 1898 and died in 1969. She was married to Martin Mullin who was a Postman. They had three children, Joe, Bridie and May.
Margaret worked as a local nurse covering the wider Woodford area and extending to Abbey and District. She was an excellent nurse and midwife and was very well liked.
Tommie Goonan, a good friend of Abbey Heritage, told us that on 1st August 1943, when he was a small child, he remembers his father going in the donkey and trap to collect Nurse Mullin when his mother’s second boy was about to be born.
Margaret’s son Joe was a mechanic and lived in the USA for part of his life before returning to Woodford where he died in 2002.
Bridie married Jack Reid, Cappicon and they had two boys, Joe and Michael. Joe lives in Cappicon and Michael lives in Cothill, neither of them married. May continued to live at home until her death in 2011.
Nurse Mullin’s Memorial Card – Courtesy Anne Nevilles
Family Grave in Woodford Cemetery where Nurse Mullin is buried – Courtesy: F Holohan
Nurse Mary Kate Joynt of Abbey
Mary Kate Joynt was born in Conicare on 17th November 1923. She was the eldest of the family of nine children. She attended Abbey National School and as a student there she contributed to the Schools’ Manuscript Collection and submitted 11 stories from the area. This is now part of the National Folklore Collection in UCD.
Mary Kate’s teacher, Mr Power, encouraged her to apply for Nursing in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin where she was awarded a scholarship. She trained there as a midwife.
Mary Kate Joynt – Photo courtesy: Mary Daly
On sitting her final exams in Midwifery, she achieved 1st place in Ireland. Sometime later her mother became ill and Mary Kate came home to look after her. She continued her midwifery duties in the locality. She delivered quite a lot of babies in the area. Her only mode of transport in those days was her bicycle. She cycled near and far to deliver babies in inclement weather. She had a little brown case on the carrier of her bicycle.
Mary Kate passed away on 6th July 1998 and is buried in Kilnalahan Cemetery, Abbey.
Mary Kate Joynt Memorial Card – Photo courtesy: Mary Daly
Joynt Grave in Kilnalahan Cemetery – Photo Courtesy: F Holohan
All of the above deserve to be remembered for their wonderful work in looking after those in their time of need and for their great contributions to making the lives of others more pleasant and comfortable.
May they all enjoy the rewards of their labours.
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