Passing of Ballymore native who was former local hospital matron

The death has taken place of the former matron of the Midlands Regional Hospital, Sr Anna Sloan, a native of Newtown, Ballymore.

Sr Anna, who was 95, died peacefully on Saturday at Carthage Nursing Home, Mucklagh.

A highly educated and accomplished woman, Sr Anna attended the convent school in Ballymahon before joining the Sisters of Mercy in Tullamore in 1951.

Following nine months as a postulant and her Spiritual Year, she was sent to the Mercy Hospital in Cork to begin her nursing training. Three years later, she achieved honours in her final examinations, as well as in her medical ethics studies.

After qualifying, Sr Anna returned to Tullamore, where she worked as a temporary staff nurse. In 1957, she returned to Cork to study midwifery, coming second in Ireland in her examinations. She later spent time in Edinburgh studying hospital administration.

In 1966, Sr Anna was appointed assistant matron at Tullamore Hospital. On September 1, 1972, she became matron of Mullingar Hospital, a position she held while continuing to pursue her academic interests.

Her thirst for knowledge saw her study a wide range of subjects, including behavioural science, philosophical anthropology, intercultural relations and religious studies.

Sr Anna was also actively involved in several professional organisations. She was a founding member of the Faculty of Nursing at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and served on its board. From 1975 to 1980, she was a member of the Working Party on General Nursing, and from 1983 to 1985, she served on the Working Party on Nurse Training in the Midland Health Board area.

She was also a member of the Irish Matrons Association and the Irish Nurses Organisation, and chaired the Hospital Consultative Committee.

Her commitment to caring for others continued after her retirement. Sr Anna was involved with North Westmeath Hospice and the Hospice Home Care Service, volunteered with the Citizens Information Centre in Mullingar and was part of the Meals on Wheels team. She also undertook further studies for a Diploma in Social Studies.

Outside her professional and voluntary work, Sr Anna enjoyed reading, cycling, walking, knitting, reflexology, Scrabble, listening to the radio and foreign travel.

Following the closure of the Mercy convent in Mullingar, Sr Anna returned to the convent in Tullamore. For most of the last decade of her life, she was a resident at Carthage Nursing Home in Mucklagh.

Sr Anna was predeceased by her parents, William and Mary-Ann, and her sister, Beade Wolfe, Dublin.

She is survived by her sisters Eileen MacSheorais, Galway; Mary Cunningham, Ballymore; Frances Creamer, Ballinea; and Sr Rose, Newbrook Nursing Home; her brother Joe Sloan, Ballymore; nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews; she is fondly remember by the Sisters of Mercy in Tullamore and the Sisters in the Northern Branch; relatives, former work colleagues and friends.

Sr Anna's removal is this evening, Monday. Her funeral Mass is on Tuesday at the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore, followed by burial in Clonminch Cemetery, Tullamore.