As the enormity of recession hits us, and belts begin to tighten, one glimmer of hope remains in the centre of Galway city. Surrounded by the madness of ordinary life it is easy to forget the ray of light that beams from one of the citys oldest establishments. The occupants may be hidden from view, but the building’s grandeur is certainly not.
The corner stone of the Poor Clares extern convent on Nuns island was laid in 1895, and ever since, the sisters of the enclosed order have prayed each night for the protection of the city. Bells may ring from the convent to the shock of passers-by, but as Sister Colette says “we ring the bells for Mass and for prayers several times a day. There seems to be a legend surrounding the ringing of the bells, that we only do it when we are hungry, another legend is that we dig our own graves, that’s also false.”
However if there was a time to ring the bell, it is now. Renovation works are well overdue in the city convent and the Poor Clares are asking for the assistance of the people of Galway. As you enter the beautiful grounds of the Poor Clare convent, you see the front part of the convent known as the extern convent. This is the area used for functions and greeting members of the public. The building needs updating as it is very damp, and must be rewired. In addition to essential work, alterations will be made to make the building more user-friendly. The parlours used for greeting guests will be moved from the main building to the extern building and will be increased from two to three.
An extension of the existing porch will then complement the facilitation of a function room. Sister Colette says that at the moment the building does not suit its purpose, and the time has now come to address the problem. The sisters of the enclosed order devote their lives to prayer, and feel that they are an integral part of the city, “We belong to the city, as much as the city belongs to us,” says Sister Colette, emphasising that the re-development of the building will make it more functional for greeting members of the public.
The lives of those in the enclosed order are dedicated to prayer, their only means of support is making altar breads. Along with donations from the public they have a vegetable plot where the nuns produce some of their own food. Along with the busy schedule of work and prayer, there is also time for recreation, says Sister Colette. “We have one bicycle that we share to cycle around the garden,” stopping to laugh, as she added, “ but they broke it last month, one of the sisters cycled it into another sister and buckled the front wheel.”
Television is not watched and newspapers are rarely read in the convent, but like everywhere else Christmas is a time for celebration. During this time the Sisters watch movies, play music, sing, and some of them even like to do a bit of Irish dancing, says Sister Colette. A buy a brick scheme has been organised for the convent on behalf of a committee of local people to raise the much needed €700,000. The idea is that bricks to the value of €10 will be sold from the convent, the Augustinian church, and other outlets, each ticket bought will also be entered into a draw for a holiday voucher worth €3,000, or a weekend for two in Ashford Castle.
To find out more contact Anto on 087 7476458 or a committee member can be contacted by email at [email protected]. The sisters are also inviting members of the public to donate directly to the Poor Clare repair fund. For more information on the Poor Clares visit their website www.poorclares.ie
