This article is from page 98 of the 2006-09-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 98 JPG
US AMBASSADOR to Ireland, James Kenny made a nationwide appeal at the weekend to allow the Poor Clare nuns in Ennis to see the AllIreland hurling final.
Ambassador Kenny made a private visit to the Poor Clares on Francis Street last week and he told RTE radio at the weekend, “The nuns are very, very special people and remind me what Ireland is about.
“They knew who I was because one of the treats in life they do get is to watch the news and see what is going on in the world and, secondly, on All-Ireland final day, they are allowed to listen to the match.
“But the nuns got very perturbed because the GAA changed the starting time from 3.30pm to 4pm and they have to leave and go into prayers before half-time. They are very upset because they want to be able to listen to the All-Ireland final.
“They wanted me to relay this to the GAA and I said I would. These are wonderful, wonderful people that are praying for everyone around Ireland. “
Sunday’s final, however, started at the traditional time of 3.30pm – allowing the Poor Clares to enjoy the entire game.
The Abbess of the enclosed order, Sister Bernadine, told The Clare People that the nuns jokingly asked Mr Kenny during his visit to raise the issue, as the nuns’ rosary starts at 5pm every day.
“We said it as a bit of fun and we didn’t take it too seriously. There were only a few of us who wanted to see the match. We have some nuns from Cork and they didn’t wish to see it and we were able to tell them the result.”
Sister Bernadine said that Mr Kenny, “is a lovely person. It was a private visit”.
There are 17 Poor Clares based in Ennis and they come from various parts of Ireland. Their monastery was founded on October 7, 1958 with Joseph Rodgers, the then Bishop of Killaloe, laying the foundation stone in 1957.