ASPECTS of Bere Island’s history will be the focus of an upcoming talk by Southern Star correspondent Helen Riddell, who has been invited to be part of the National Museum of Country Life’s International Women’s Day celebrations on March 8th.
Helen, who is an active member of the Bere Island Projects Group, will be speaking about nursing on the island from 1935 to 1975 and about the incredible Mary Mullins, who was a nurse there for 40 years.
That was at a time when Bere Island was one of three strategic treaty ports, which were under British control until 1938.
From that point on, until 1948, the Irish Army established part of the island as a military zone.
Helen’s research formed part of a National Museum project on community midwives, and she will be one of a number of people from Cork county to spearhead the event. Some of the stories have been incorporated into an exhibition at the National Museum in Turlough Park, which is in Castlebar, Co Mayo, where there is currently a programme exploring the history of rural midwifery.
To hear Helen’s contribution, on community midwives and those of other local historians, visit museum.ie. People can also book a place at the International Women’s Day event by calling 094 9031751 or emailing: [email protected].
Meanwhile, Lorna Elms, the Irish Community Archive Network development officer with the National Museum told The Southern Star they would like to hear from more people in Cork, and throughout Ireland, to further expand the community-led historical research into midwifery.
‘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,’ she said.
