About Us

We are a voluntary group who have developed a photographic exhibition to share the multifaceted story of Irish Religious Sisters between 1923-2023.

We are a voluntary group of five women who ‘dared to hope’ and to ‘embrace the unknown’ to develop this photographic exhibition. Through it, we are sharing the multifaceted journey of the social ‘her’-story of Irish Religious Sisters between 1923-2023, coinciding with the centenary of the Irish State.

Throughout the last 100 years, the focus of Irish Religious Sisters, underpinned by Gospel Values, has been to respond where there was greatest need.

This photographic exhibition was made possible with support of the Executive Council of the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI) and participating members. It was officially launched by Caoimhe de Barra, CEO of Trócaire on October 3rd, 2023 in Iveagh House at the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was hosted by Minister Sean Fleming, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for International Development and Diaspora. Since then, the exhibition has travelled around Ireland and in Rome, Italy, where it was hosted at St. Isidore’s Franciscan Friary, for St. Brigid’s Day celebration at the invitation of the Irish Ambassador to the Holy See.

Our Team

During Laudato Si week in May 2023, in the blissful surroundings of An Tairseach Organic Farm and Ecology Centre in County Wicklow, two individuals met and dared to dream. Taking that dream further, they met with 4 other women who formed a Project Coordinating Group who took the risk and conceptualised a plan that has realised into a photographic exhibition telling the social (her) story of Irish Religious Sisters Embracing the Unknown. We met many others along the way who supported us in developing and supporting the exhibition, including Diarmuid O’Murchu, Marjolie DesignAvalon Print, TrócaireIrish AidRadharc TrustKen Saro-Wiwa Archive at Maynooth UniversityMisean CaraVeritasMissionVale Ireland, Derek Speirs (photographer), UTV Archive Partnership ProjectJames Creedon (journalist), RTE Archives.

In this website, we share some of this journey with you.

Toni Pyke

AMRI

Sr. Teresa Devine

FMA

Sr. Denise Boyle

FMDM

Sr. Anne Gray

S.S.C.

Deirdre O'Sullivan