By Claire Corrigan
A special seat and plaque was unveiled in honour of one of the Ireland’s leading psychiatrists of the 20th century, Dr. Ada English at Loreto College last Thursday, 5 May.
Dr. English grew up in Mullingar and was educated at Loreto College. She was imprisoned during the 1916 Rebellion and subsequently elected to the first and second Dáil.
Former Director of Nursing with the Mullingar Mental Health Services and chairperson of Mullingar Mental Health Association, Finn Gallagher said the project was initiated by the association. “We were giving a lot of thought to what we might do to mark the 1916 Rising. It emerged that Ada English was a psychiatrist whose family lived in Mullingar in the early part of the century and who had a family here and attended the convent here in Loreto.”
School principal Marese Bell addressed the crowd first, saying that Loreto was very proud of their distinguished past pupil and her remarkable achievements in the area of mental health. “This wonderful tribute will serve as a monument to Ada’s life’s work. Loreto was the first secondary school in the midlands to achieve the Health Promoting School’s Flag so the spirit of the Dr. Ada is alive and well here today.”
That was followed by a stirring speech about the former student by Ruth Illingworth about how the role of women has evolved due to people such as Dr. English. “I have the honour to be a past pupil of Loreto, Mullingar and it’s a wonderful school. Ada was one of its earliest pupils. It opened in 1881 and incredibly had more staff than students. Throughout her remarkable life Ada English gave service to her county and to some of the most vulnerable people of society at that time.”
“She grew up in a word where women were second class citizens. From the very beginning she campaigned for a better Ireland which she achieved. It is wonderful in this centenary year that we remember Ada in her hometown and homeschool.”
Seamus O’Brien from Westmeath Archaeological & Historical Society also gave a speech at the ceremony and talked about the Proclamation. “The main author was Padraig Pearse and I’ve no doubt that Dr. Ada had an influence on it as an executive member of Cumann na mBann. The fact that Irish women were included in the Proclamation is extraordinary because it was a very different Ireland.”
Given that Dr. English was one of Ireland’s first female psychiatrists, it was fitting that the first female Clinical Director in Ireland, Mullingar’s own Dr. Mary O’Hanlon, was there to say a few words. “It’s wonderful now to see so many women taking over medicine and that women are achieving in a way Ada would have expected us to. It’s great to see that the work to destigmatise mental illness that was started by a great female psychiatrist is now prevalent all over the country.”
The attendees were invited for tea and refreshments in the school canteen after the unveiling ceremony.
