The Nun of High Park [Gen-038]

Mrs. A.C. Rahilly remembers visiting High Park Convent as a young girl, in the company of her mother Mary Connell D'Arcy, to visit a nun there who was called "Aunt Margaret'". She was unaware of Aunt Margaret's name in religion or of her surname.

It was Mrs. D'Arcy's practice to save a sovereign and to present it to Aunt Margaret when she visited her. The convent was about three miles from the D'Arcy home and Mrs. D'arcy, accompanied by her daughter, walked there and back.

Mrs. Rahilly said that her father displayed no interest in the nun and never visited her. It looked, therefore, that the nun was a relation of her mother. Mrs. Rahilly also said that her sister Margaret ("Daisy") Mary D'Arcy Toolan was named after the nun in High Park. She also mentioned that her brother, Leo D'Arcy, was named after His Holiness Leo XIII at the suggestion of Aunt Margaret. She thought that Aunt Margaret died about the same time as Pope Leo. She remembered visiting High Park Convent with her mother after Aunt Margaret's death. She remembered seeing her in her coffin, dressed in her religious habit, and recalled that her colleagues had described Aunt Margaret as a saint. The community in the Convent operated a commercial laundry and Aunt Margaret was in charge of it.

As mentioned above, Aunt Margaret's surname was unknown. It was hoped that discovery of her surname might lead to the discovery of useful genealogical information concerning her parents.

As there was a possibility that Aunt Margaret's name might have been Connell or O'Connell, an enquiry was addressed to High Park Convent asking if they could trace her in their records. They could find no mention of her and no person of that name was buried in the community graveyard attached to the convent. They were then asked to search for a Margaret Mary Bourke (The mother of Mary Connell D'Arcy was a Bourke and Margaret Mary D'Arcy Toolan was reputed to have been called after Aunt Margaret of High Park.) No such person could be traced, however.

In their reply the nuns mentioned that the only person with the religious name of "Margaret Mary" was a nun named Mary O'Reilly. She had been in charge of the laundry accounts. She died in 1919. This ruled her out as Mrs. D'Arcy Rahilly's mother had died in 1918.

A search of the records of the 1901 and 1911 Censuses revealed that a nun named Mary O'Reilly of Dublin had apparently died between 1901 and 1911. It was thought that she might be the "missing" aunt. Enquiries [to] the convent revealed that this nun had died in 1909 and that she had also been employed in the laundry. She seemed a likely candidate. However, Mrs. Rahilly thought that Aunt Margaret had died before 1909.

Enquiries were also made regarding a Mary Bergin who had been born in Kildare: the Connells had lived in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. These enquiries did not yield any useful information and it looked as if the search would have to be abandoned.

However, it was decided to have another look at the 1901 Census returns for the Convent: the earlier examination had been confined to the list of nuns.

The list of residents at the convent in 1901 contained the name of Margaret Connell, aged 68 years, born in Co. Kilkenny. (Since the investigation into the nun of High Park had started, it had been discovered that the Connells came from Co. Kilkenny.) The convent stated that this Margaret Connell had died on the 13th December, 1912. She had entered on 19th March, 1863 at the age of 24 years, and had been given the name "Mary Dominick". Apparently she was a lay sister - "a kind of Third Order of Religious (who) made promises of obedience, etc. and dressed in a black habit." She was employed in the laundry and as the oldest person there at the time of the 1901 Census was probably in charge.

Everything seemed to fit except the date of death. However, a check of the Register of Deaths in the General Register Office, Dublin, for the years 1901 - 1912 (inclusive) showed that no other Margaret (or Mary) Connell (or O'Connell) of an appropriate age died in North Dublin during these years except Margaret Connell above. (On the Death Certificate her name is given as Margaret 0'Connel.)

Margaret Connell, sister of William, is the Nun of High Park.