Tipperary women featured in epic National Museum project
Tipperary readers: Call goes out for old stories and recalled memories about community midwives
People in Tipperary are being invited to contribute stories and memories about community midwives in the 19th and 20th century as part of a project led by the National Museum of Ireland.
The stories can be submitted to a national history and heritage archive, available at ouririshheritage.org.
The lives and contributions of some Tipperary nurses and midwives have already been incorporated into an ongoing exhibition and events programme exploring the history of rural midwifery at the National Museum in Turlough Park, Co. Mayo.
“We’d like to hear from more people in Co. Tipperary and across Ireland to further expand on this community-led historical research into midwifery,” explained Lorna Elms, iCAN Development Officer with the National Museum.
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“Community midwives provided a vital network of healthcare provision for women in rural Ireland - sustaining the lives of mothers and babies during birth – often in very challenging conditions. The exhibition and archive project acknowledges and celebrates their contributions.”
Members of the Tipperary-based heritage groups, Our Slieveardagh Hills and Tipperary in the Decade of Revolution, have already contributed research to the project.
The groups are part of the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN) – an initiative by the National Museum of Ireland, the Heritage Council and participating local authority Heritage Officers across Ireland.
Margaret Kennedy, from Tipperary in the Decade of Revolution, is set to deliver a talk on her research on the topic at the National Museum in Turlough Park to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March 2025.
Margaret will talk about Bridget Rohan Tompkins. Bridget’s role as a nurse in the community gave her a perfect cover for her work with the republican movement during the years of revolutionary conflict, and she found herself at the wrong end of a gun when the Crown forces targeted her home.
To hear from Margaret and other local historians from around Ireland on their research into community midwives, visit www.museum.ie and book a place at the upcoming event for International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Alternatively, telephone (094) 90 31751 or email BookingsCountryLife @museum.ie.
Visit the exhibition at Turlough Park or ouririshheritage.org to contribute your own stories or memories of midwives in your area.