On this episode of the Nano Nagle Place podcast we chat with Sr. Annunciata Forde who joined the Presentation Order when she came through the doors of Mitchelstown Convent in October 1959.
Sr. Annunciata tells us the fascinating story of the convent which opened in 1853 and closed its doors in December 2002.
She also talks her own life and teaching career, which brought her to Mitchelstown, Midleton and Zimbabwe, a country in huge poverty and political strife.
Enjoy the show
In this special episode we chat with Sister Mary John Staunton, a pupil of South Pres who entered the order there in 1959 and subsequently went on to spend 35 years at St. Pauls School.
She chats about the early days in school and how her role model, Sister Agnes used to go out of her way to look after the very poor children.
She also talks about the founding of Saint Pauls school, which looked after children with severe learning difficulties and the very special privilege that it was to look after them.
Enjoy the show
In this special episode of the Nano Nagle podcast, we sat down with Sr. Margaret Coleman, who chats about her 47 years at the Presentation Convent Crosshaven, Co. Cork.
As well as her own personal story she talks about the three brave sisters who went to Crosshaven to start a school in 1876, the love story that assisted them, and the many changes until the convent closed its doors on the 30th September, 2015.
She began as a boarding student in 1962 and joined the Presentation Order herself in Crosshaven immediately after, both teaching and looking after the boarding students at the school.
We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!
“Bloom where you are planted” is the moto that Sr.Lillian Kaar lives her life by, and her story certainly lives up to this!
We sat down to chat with her at the Regina Coeli, Queen of Heaven Convent in Farranree in Cork city.
She told the story of her Estonian father Joe Kaar, who found himself taking refuge in Cork and she chatted about entering the order in South Pres, teaching in Bandon and then spending six wonderful years in Peru.
Her Peru experience was the foundation stone for her community work in Farranree, setting up a family resource centre in a location where there was huge unemployment and people who needed a lot of help and support.
Enjoy the show!
In this episode we travel to North Presentation Convent in Blackpool in Cork to meet Sr. de Lourdes Keane.
Sr. de Lourdes Keane is the sports loving sister who loved playing all sorts of sports with the children as well as teaching.
She chats about her years in North Pres, Farranree and the Glen as well as her years teaching in the United States, in Florida and Alabama.
She says “children are the same everywhere“!
Enjoy the show with Sr. de Lourdes Keane.
Episode 4: Sr. Carmel Ryan who entered Presentation Convent Youghal in 1943
In the second series of the Nano Nagle Place podcast we leave South Pres and we visit the other convents in Cork city and county to see how the work of the Presentation Sisters reached far and wide.
In this episode we speak with Sr. Carmel Ryan, one of three Sisters that we met at the Presentation Convent in Youghal, Co,Cork, each with a very different story.
Sr. Carmel Ryan entered the doors of the convent on New Year’s Day, 1943 to begin a lifelong career of teaching in Youghal, which she absolutely adored!
Enjoy the show with Sr. Carmel
Episode 3: Sr. Margaret Cashman, one of the trio from Presentation Convent Youghal.
In the second series of the Nano Nagle Place podcast we leave South Pres and we visit the other convents in Cork city and county to see how the work of the Presentation Sisters reached far and wide.
In this episode we speak with Sr. Margaret Cashman, one of three Sisters that we met at the Presentation Convent in Youghal, Co. Cork, each with a very different story.
After the death of her father Sr. Margaret joined the Presentation Order and took up various roles across Ireland in Midleton, Dublin, Rathmore, South Pres and now Youghal.
Enjoy the show!
Episode 2: The story of Presentation Convent Youghal with Sr. Placida Ryan
In the second series of the Nano Nagle Place podcast we leave South Pres and we visit the other convents in Cork city and county to see how the work of the Presentation Sisters reached far and wide.
In this episode we speak with Sr. Placida Ryan, one of three Sisters that we met at the Presentation Convent in Youghal, Co. Cork, each with a very different story.
Sr. Placida spoke about one of her teachers, Jim O’Brien, who encouraged all of his students to learn about the world and this left a big mark and curiosity with her.
She shared stories about her fascinating teaching career that took her all around the world and she tells the story of the convent in Youghal that dates back to 1834.
Enjoy the show!
The tour of the Presentation Convent in Bandon with Sr. Mary Brien
In the second series of the Nano Nagle Place podcast we leave South Pres and we visit the other convents in Cork city and county to see how the work of the Presentation Sisters reached far and wide.
We first visit the Presentation Convent in Bandon, Co. Cork to meet Sr. Mary Brien.
In this podcast Sr. Mary was kind enough to bring us on a tour of this historic building.
Enjoy the show
In this very special episode we had the privilege of chatting with Sister Stanislaus (Sister Stan!) Kent who celebrates her 101st birthday on the 10th June, 2022,
She chats about her fascinating life, entering the Presentation Order in 1939, her 40 years of teaching in Youghal in Cork and even the rationing that went on in the convent during World War 2.
A huge happy birthday to Sr. Stan!
Sister Julie Watson, the Congregation Leader of the Presentation Sisters is the guest for the final episode of the special series that took us from the closing of the school doors at South Pres to what we know and enjoy today as Nano Nagle Place.
She has had a fascinating career, having spent 24 years in Pakistan doing what she was passionate about, which was teaching and it is there that she started to fully appreciate Nano Nagle and was quite moved as the children spoke about Nano in the present tense.
Nano Nagle Place is beyond all her expectations and she views it as a “living legacy” of Nano’s work and life.
She speaks about the now, the future and importance of “walking lightly on the earth and harnessing the energy of love”
Enjoy the show
In this episode we chat with Programme Manager of Nano Nagle Place, Danielle O’Donovan.
We chat about her love of museums since early childhood, we probe into why the Nano Nagle story may have disappeared from history for quite a while and we also talk about the near blank canvass that Danielle had to work with when she and the team created the very special, award winning visitor experience.
We also talk about the other activities and initiatives that she oversees and some of the plans for the future
Enjoy the show
In this episode we chat with Sister Josephine McCarthy who set up the Cork Migrant Centre in 2006.
She says that Nano Nagle has been a constant in her very colourful life that took her to Peru and Ecuador doing missionary work for 28 years before returning to “Celtic Tiger” Ireland in the early 2000’s.
Responding to the needs of migrants she set up the Cork Migrant Centre, which has also embraced those in direct provision centres where the work helps to recover a sense of self in those that bring “wonderful diversity” to our city.
Sister Jo, as everyone calls her is a true powerhouse according to everyone that you will meet at Nano Nagle Place.
Enjoy the show!
In this episode we chat with the incredibly passionate, and “make it happen” Naomi Masheti, who is the Programme Coordinator for the Cork Migrant Centre at Nano Nagle Place.
She talks about their work with migrants in Cork, many who are living in Direct Provision Centres.
She explains how It always starts with listening, understanding their many emotional and practical needs and then creating the activities and programmes and the enabling conditions to address these and with staggering results.
This is so similar to the work that Nano Nagle herself did hundred of years ago.
Enjoy this special episode
Siobhan Allen, Head of Ministry at Nano Nagle Place talks about “that moment” on her first day of school when she decided that she wanted to be a teacher.
She chats about her career working in “special” schools, coming out of semi-retirement for this role and how rewarding it is overseeing the work of the Men’s Group, the Lantern Project and the Cork Migrant Centre helping those in need just as Nano Nagle had done.
She lives the “Deeds not Words” ethos of Nano Nagle, like so many others at Nano Nagle Place.
Enjoy the show!
In this episode we chat with a fantastic retired couple, Bernard and Joyce Bosonnet who are volunteers at Nano Nagle Place.
From knowing very little about Nano Nagle, they are now totally immersed and are huge ambassadors for her and her incredible story, doing meet and greet and taking visitors on guided tours.
Like so many others involved with Nano Nagle Place they know there is something very special going on, and they say the place “actually gives so much to them”
Enjoy the show!
When Agnes O’Sullivan saw the development nearing completion she put it on her “vision board” that she wanted to work there, as she felt drawn to this special place for some reason.
Her wish came true and she admits herself that it never feels like work!
She chats about her role, about the profound effect that it has on visitors and how the work of Nano Nagle will live on in everyone who experiences Nano Nagle Place.
Enjoy the show
In this episode we chat with CEO of Nano Nagle Place, Shane Clarke.
We get an insight into his career and experience before he took this role and he explains what drew him to it.
We also discuss how special the place and the people involved are to him, how it has developed since the doors opened and how the vision of the board comes to life each day through the people and all of the activities that take place at Nano Nagle Place.
Enjoy the show
Michael O’Sullivan was appointed as CEO to oversee the construction and delivery of Nano Nagle Place, from a near derelict , but sacred site to what we know and enjoy today.
From taking an initial brief, gaining an understanding of what was required, building critical relationships with the Presentation congregation and appointing a team to look after and deliver each element of the project, and overcoming some big hurdles, Michael did a superb job before handing over the “operational reins” of Nano Nagle Place to CEO Shane Clarke.
He tells his story in this episode.
Jim Corr, who had been the Lord Mayor of Cork city twice, took the role of Chairman of the Board of the new company with the responsibility of bringing the development of South Pres from concept stage to completion.
He chats about his personal connection to South Pres, the major hurdles faced with the development and in particular convincing the Presentation Congregation to invest in the School of Architecture, which was critical for the ongoing viability of the project.
Enjoy the show
In this episode we chat with Sr. Mary Deane who was the Presentation Congregation Leader at the time when the South Pres development was being planned.
The ambitious plans required significant investment and the support and financial contributions from the international congregations were essential to the project.
Sr. Mary chats about the whole process, the different challenges faced and how international support was secured, which made Nano Nagle Place as we know it today possible.
Enjoy the show
In this episode we chat with Sr. Mary Hoare who was the Provincial Leader of the Presentation Order during the development of Nano Nagle Place.
Interestingly, she now lives at the Nano Nagle Centre, at Ballygriffin in County Cork, which was the birthplace of Nano Nagle.
She chats about the dilemma of the crumbling but sacred South Pres site and some of the thinking and obstacles that they faced while they were deciding on what the crucial next steps should be.
She also chats about the Nano Nagle Centre.
Enjoy the show
Sr. Mary Dinneen was a former Principal of the Secondary School at South Pres when it closed its doors in 1996.
In this episode we chat with the very special Sr. Mary about her life including entering South Pres as a young woman, when it was an enclosed order.
She speaks about her love of teaching and her pupils, the story of inner city life in Cork and desperately encouraging parents to keep their children in school to complete their education and how gradual societal changes occurred that eventually led to its closure.
We also talk about the transformation of the South Pres site to Nano Nagle Place.
Enjoy the show
A podcast walking tour along St Patrick’s Street, Cork City with Dr Tom Spalding and Michael Lenihan. In this podcast we discover the slow process of rebuilding St Patrick’s Street in the years after its violent destruction in December 1920. This podcast tour was created as part of our programming for the ‘Small Lives: at Home in Cork in 1920’ Exhibition. If you want to treat this as a walking tour head to Savoy Cinema and press play!
A podcast walking tour along St Patrick’s Street, Cork City with Dr Tom Spalding and Michael Lenihan. This podcast tour was created as part of our programming for the ‘Small Lives: at Home in Cork in 1920’ Exhibition. If you want to treat this as a walking tour head to Daunt’s Square and press play!