Remembering our Community Midwives & Nurses
Bridget Ann Broderick was born to Patrick Broderick and Mary Nelson at Doon, Kilrickle on the 12th July 1911. One of eight children she attended the local National School in Kilrickle.
Career
In December 1931, Bridget Ann went to England to train at Oldchurch Hospital, Romford, Essex. On 6th May 1935 she qualified as a General Nurse. In 1937 she qualified as a Midwife. On the 29th June 1937 she was enrolled on the Midwives Roll of the Central Midwives Board, Saorstat Eireann.
Returning to Ireland
In 1940 Bridget Ann returned from England and married Dermot Sweeney, Loughrea. She was known locally as Nurse Sweeney.
On the 16th July 1940 she was interviewed by the Local Appointments Commission at University College Galway for a position as Midwife in the Bullaun, Loughrea Districts. On the 20th October she was appointed as Midwife of the Bullaun Dispensary District. At a salary of £60 she took up duty on the 1st November 1940. The Bullaun District extended from Kilconieron in the west to Abbeygormican in the east and from Clooncah in the north to Duniry in the south.
In the 1960’s Nurse Sweeney was appointed as District Nurse, one of the changes that this entailed was that she could no longer be allowed to layout the dead. In the 1970’s she was appointed Public Health Nurse.
Her son Ray remembers
As midwife her main mode of transport was her bike, sometimes a farmer would collect her with her bag to take her to the expectant mother. In addition during the war years she had the status of Sergeant with the Local Red Cross.
“My childhood memories are of people coming to our home to have stitches removed, others to have dressings changed. My mother also distributed Cow & Gate and Liga to the Travelling Community and others. There were many occasions when the local doctor would come to the back door and ask her to get her bag and come with him. Sometimes she could be away more that 24 hours as she brought unmarried mothers to Tuam, Castlepollard or Roscrea. Some babies were also left at the local County Home and these would be taken into care. Other memories I have as a child is my mother boiling syringes and needles in a pot on the range to sterilise them for re-use”.
Between 1940 and 1965 there were over 1,100 babies delivered in the area.
Comments about this page
Very interesting, was a lovely Granny too!
Tribute to my mother
My mother known as Ciss Sweeney was a wonderful woman. She had enormous energy and excelled in many areas. She knitted Fairisle jumpers for her five children Maurice, Maureen, Thelma, Pat and Raymond. She also knitted Fairisle vests for my 3 children that I have still kept today . She knitted covers for our hot water bottles and had excellent skills in a range of embroidery work . In the 90s she made patchwork quilts and cushion covers that I still use.
She was a woman of great faith and attended Mass daily. She was admired and spoken highly off by the women whose children she brought into the world. Many of the Irish travelling people had their babies delivered in their tents and my mother had no complaints about her work here. Aunty Lily Broderick-Johnston,mammy’s sister and amidwife in Kinvara delivered our family and my mother delivered many of the Johnstons. Both Lily and Ciss delivered their sister Mary Broderick-McDonagh’s children in Raford, Kiltulla. The 3 sisters encouraged togetherness amongst the cousins a lovely feature still nourished today.
Ciss died 5 years before Raymond was ordained but Uncle Tommy Broderick was happy to see him become s priest in 2011.
Raymond today has many administrative duties and serves as parish priest in the parishes of Ballymacward and Gurteen. He also endeavours to co-celebrate at Masses in Loughrea and at Masses of people who his mother helped bring into the world.
I would have liked to have had more time with my mother but I am full of admiration at all that she achieved in her lifetime.
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