My memories of Mary O'Rourke
by Nuala Holloway
It is one of the sadnesses of life that we take for granted the stable and familiar things. We only begin to look at things objectively and gauge their true worth when they are gone. Only after people have passed into eternity we might ponder on their achievements.
Mary O’Rourke who passed away a year ago (October 3, 2024) was a lady who one felt would be around for a long time. I remember her name being mentioned many times throughout my childhood and beyond. She was a constant, not only on the political landscape but her presence was strong in many other areas of Irish life. The word ‘influencer’ is much used today to describe those who make an impact in their chosen area. Mary was the greatest ‘Influencer’ throughout her life. She created numerous projects bringing much-needed jobs to Athlone.
She had the Department of Education sited in Athlone. She contributed to the AIT (Athlone Institute of Technology) now known as TUS (Technological University on the Shannon). She helped in the location of the local Enterprise Ireland and the IDA Ireland premises. A political figure once remarked that when he was growing up in Mullingar, ‘it was always said that Athlone was getting something because of Mary O’Rourke’.
Tales of her generosity can be told privately by many who needed help on financial or social matters. Most people got to know Mary through her media presence. She appeared in numerous interviews on radio and TV. She wrote a weekly column for a local newspaper. She also wrote two books relating to her life.
As one local politician stated, she was someone who had helped ‘put Athlone on the map’ at a national level. She was a woman who reached the zenith in politics, at a time when it wasn’t the norm. She also encouraged other women to enter politics as a worthwhile career. Her high intellect, quick wit and her way of straight talking endeared her to many. However, her directness did not always go down with everyone. Her gold and silver tones could quickly become iron when needed.
My opportunity to meet Mary was not until August 2013. The occasion was the Moate Agricultural Show. We both were adjudicators for the ‘Best Dressed Lady’ competition. Before being introduced to Mary I observed how she communicated with the people. She was the proverbial true politician who had a word for everyone. Her warm welcome put me at ease as she reminded me of how she knew me from my recent achievements as an artist and writer. The day was warm with the promise of a fun day ahead. Tents stood gaily with arrangements of farm produce, fruit, vegetables and an aroma of freshly baked cakes. Music blared out over the large field where animals, cows, bulls and horses competed with the sounds.
Our choice of seat was a large bale of straw. Ladies of all ages in their finery paraded casually past us. From time to time, Mary would stop a lady and ask her about what she was wearing. Everyone knew Mary and they were happy to meet her. She had a great memory for names. Mary asked questions like, ‘Where did she purchase her outfit?’, ‘Why did she chose a particular colour?’ and even ‘What she had paid for it?’ Her phrase of the day was ‘give us a twirl’. I discovered she loved fashion. More importantly I discovered a woman of clear observation and high intellect.
From that day on we became great friends. I got to know Mary through our chats and much laughter often over lunch, whether it was at my home or at The Left Bank restaurant in Athlone, which became our regular meeting place. Our conversations focused on school and education. She was keen to hear about my studies of Chinese at UCD and at the BLCU (Beijing Language and Cultural University) and later at the Renmin University in Beijing. She was particularly interested in my attempts to introduce Chinese as a subject in my school. Through my approaches to the National Curriculum for Development and the help of others it was eventually included as a subject on Leaving Certificate curriculum. Mary admired my determination to push this idea. She understood how Irish students needed to move beyond European languages and to be prepared for a more global world. Business between Ireland and China was gradually becoming an increasing area of growth.
I invited her to my school in South Dublin to talk to Transition Year students. To my delight she accepted. She made the journey from her home in Athlone to my school in Clonskeagh, Dublin 14. She had a great rapport with the students. She had been a teacher herself before she entered politics. Everyone wanted to meet her. After all she had been a Minister for Education and according to many of the teachers, she was an excellent minister. She had introduced many important changes in education. The management invited her back to the school for the Leaving Cert graduation night. Her speech on the night was practical and down to earth. She put emphasis on the idea of ‘Carpe Diem’. The students enjoyed meeting her and chatting with her. She enjoyed meeting young people too. She spoke lovingly of her grandchildren.
Her illness came as a shock to me. She was always so full of energy with a voracious appetite for life. Her life had changed. I was now visiting her at the Ferndean Nursing home, Blackrock just around the corner from my home. She called out my name with delight when she got the first glimpse of me walking towards her room. She would repeat the phrase, ‘give me a twirl’.
She always managed to look well herself. Her hair was always perfect. The nurses joked, ‘she knew you were coming to visit’. She liked to show me her newly painted nails. Our chats were now much shorter, but she was still enthusiastic to talk about my life and hers. She kept in touch with the world through her reading of the newspapers. On one occasion she even phoned me after reading an opinion piece I had written for the Irish Times on education. Her praise for my writing was very encouraging. I knew it was time to leave her alone when a rugby match was about to begin on TV. Rugby was a game she passionately enjoyed. She was the big celebrity among the other patients.
My time of knowing her was relatively short but she made a lasting impact. She was special in my life. I think of you Mary up there in heaven asking the fashionable female saints to ‘Give you a twirl ’.
Go dtuga Dia suaimhneas síoraí dá hanam uasal agus go raibh leaba aici i measc na Naomh.
Ní fheicfimid a macasamhail go brách arís
Mount Temple native Nuala Holloway, B.A. (Hons) H.Dip, Ed. M.A. is a secondary school teacher, artist, writer and historian