Sr. Oliver Noonan’s journey from total commitment to life and ministry in Buttevant to utter contentment in Araglen Nursing Home in Boherbue.
Oliver Noonan, rsm
The motto of the deBarry family – Boutez-en-Avant i.e. pushing/moving forward/be in front – is, reportedly, the origin of the name of Buttevant, a medieval market town situated on the main road between Cork and Limerick. Buttevant is still famous for the Cahirmee Horse Fair which takes place in the town every July. Over the years many famous horses were bought in Buttevant including Napoleon’s white charger, Marengo, and coincidentally, Copenhagen, the Duke of Wellington’s horse at the Battle of Waterloo.
The deBarry motto also sums up Sr Oliver’s contribution to the parish community of Buttevant during her long years of full-hearted life-giving ministry from 1941 to 2011. Oliver was born in March 1923 – interestingly her mother, Annie Culhane, was a grand-aunt to our present President, Michael D. Higgins. (Oliver was bridesmaid to President Michael D. Higgins’s mother in 1936). The family had just moved to Lisgriffin where Oliver’s father had become manager in the local creamery. As there was no primary school in Lisgriffin at the time Oliver started her primary schooling in Buttevant but later changed to Ballygrady. At 11 years Oliver returned to Buttevant to St. Mary’s Secondary Pre-School. Under the tuition of Mother Nolasco the young Oliver excelled in music, mastering the violin and completing the Royal Irish Academy of Music Diploma in Piano at a very young age. Following the Leaving Certificate Oliver considered pharmacy as a career and took a year out to study Latin.
Somewhat similar to Ignatius Loyola hearing “take and read” Oliver kept hearing the words “what does it profit a person …” so she wrote to her aunt, Sr. Colman Noonan, a Sister of Mercy in Swinford. This led to a visit to Buttevant convent on 7th July, 1941 where the Sisters were in the middle of a novena to the then Blessed Oliver Plunkett for a Postulant. Oliver’s visit was hailed as an answer to the Sisters’ prayers.
Convent of Mercy, Buttevant
Following her Novitiate in Mount St. Mary’s, Cobh, Oliver returned to Buttevant in 1944 where she taught music until her Final Profession in 1947. Next came University College Cork where Oliver studied Music and Maths – enjoying her music lessons with Aloys Fleischmann’s mother in Patrick’s Hill – and then back to St. Mary’s for the following 37 years. During this time Oliver did sterling work first as Teacher and then as Principal for thirty years 1958 – 1988. Music flourished in the school with many going on to continue their music studies in UCC. Past pupils of Buttevant now serve their local communities as choir-mistresses, organists etc. Letters arrive every Christmas from past pupils ever-grateful for the formation and especially the love of music that they received in St. Mary’s. Oliver was also very active in the parish as organist – together with Sr. Patrick they also had a Brass & Reed Band as well as two choirs. As Leader in the house at various six-yearly intervals Oliver was constantly moving things forward at school, community and parish levels.
Retirement came in 1988 and then came a wonderful year in the Liturgy Centre in Carlow. Afterwards, it was back into work and service in Buttevant. Oliver immersed herself totally in the burgeoning Daycare Centre with Sr. Perpetua where she worked tirelessly from 1989 – 2009 managing the finances and administration and also continuing with her various choirs and choral societies.
Araglen Nursing Home, Boherbue, Co Cork
In March 2011 Oliver was hospitalised following a TIA. Her time in Cork University Hospital was followed by respite in Araglen Nursing Home, Boherbue. Throughout all her life Oliver and Buttevant had been synonymous – yet once she arrived in Boherbue she experienced a deep happiness, in her own words “from the first minute I came in I was happy.” When her two weeks of respite came to an end Oliver, contrary to her own expectations, was very happy to stay on in Boherbue. She recognised that the community in Buttevant was dwindling and that the Convent was facing closure. She also realised that she had found a haven where she could be happy. She was with friends – three of the seven Sisters who had been with her in the Novitiate were then resident in Boherbue – Peter, Magdalen and Patricia.
Oliver continues to move forward in Boherbue. She radiates happiness and contentment and gratitude. Her days pass too quickly punctuated by communal prayer in the chapel with the other Sisters from the Southern Province, time for personal prayer and reading, and television. Mass on EWTN is the highlight every day plus visiting Sisters from the various convents who now have Sisters in Boherbue. With the closure of Buttevant Convent the sanctuary lamp from the Convent chapel was brought to Boherbue where it now burns brightly in the chapel bringing connection and comfort to Oliver – to quote Oliver “I loved Buttevant but I am very happy and I’m very grateful for being in this lovely place.” Boherbue, “bótharbuí”, the yellow road, is proving to be Oliver’s yellow brick road –the road leading to contentment and happiness somewhere over the rainbow.
Chapel at Araglen Nursing Home
“Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
and the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.”
Ann Lenihan rsm
Southern Province
