Most of us know that Croke Park, Ireland’s national stadium and headquarters of the G.A.A., is called after Archbishop Thomas Croke of Cashel who was instrumental in founding the G.A.A., but perhaps not as many realise that this famous prelate had two sisters who entered the Mercy Convent in Charleville.
Croke Park
In this article, you’ll be introduced to Margaret Croke. Her parents were William Croke, the son of a successful business family from Tralee and Isabella Plummer, daughter of an aristocratic Protestant family, descended from the Knights of Glin. Isabella’s family disowned her following her marriage to a Catholic.
The couple had eight children, six boys who were reared as Catholics, like their father and two girls, reared as Protestants, the religion of their mother. Margaret, the eldest, was born in Tralee. The family moved around quite a bit and eventually settled in Castlecor, near Kilbrin, Co Cork.
After the sudden death of the father, William Croke, Isabella brought her entire family of eight children, ranging in ages from 15 to 2 years of age to live with their uncle, Fr. Thomas Croke who was then P.P. in Charleville. (He had been a great support to the Mercy Sisters when they came to the town in 1836). Later all three Croke ladies became Catholics.
Plaque in memory of Thomas Croke
For many years, Margaret stayed at home to care for her mother. When Isabella died, Margaret was thirty-eight years old. She became the twelfth girl to enter the local Mercy Convent in 1855. At her reception, she was given the name Sr. M. Ignatius. She worked with the poor in the town and took care of the novices.
In 1865 an appeal came from Matthew Quinn, Bishop-elect of Bathurst diocese in Australia, for sisters to make a foundation in New South Wales. Sr. Ignatius Croke led the group of seven volunteers – five professed and two novices. They set sail from Queenstown, in the good ship “Empress” in July 1866. Two bishops, several priests, students, Mercy and Presentation Sisters were among their fellow-passengers on this missionary ship. After about three months they arrived in Sydney and travelled over the Blue Mountains to the township of Bathurst.
Blue Mountains, Australia
Schools and boarding schools were set up to provide education for children from the vast outback areas of N.S.W. Soon the increasing work became too much for the pioneering seven and Sr. Ignatius petitioned the mother house in Charleville to send more sisters to the mission, which was promptly done. For many years the Bathurst foundation continued to be reinforced from Charleville until so many of Australia’s own girls joined that it became no longer necessary to send for Irish vocations.
When Mother Ignatius established the first branch house at Carcoar in 1874, it was her brother, Dr. Thomas Croke who laid the foundation stone.
As well as educating in the faith and secular subjects, Mother Ignatius Croke and the sisters provided culture in country towns through teaching music, and establishing orchestras, drama and art classes. They trained many girls as governesses and teachers, prepared them for entrance to nursing, secretarial careers and work in those areas of the Public Service open to women at that time. They also taught them homemaking skills and sound financial management.
After school and at weekends they visited the homes of their pupils and others in need, including the prisoners in the Bathurst gaol. They instructed groups of children and adults for the reception of the Sacraments and prepared adults to become members of the Catholic Church. They fed, clothed and sheltered orphaned children, educated them and prepared them for suitable employment.
Mother Ignatius was instrumental in making foundations in such places as Mudgee, Orange, Forbes, Cobar, Dubbo etc. and she was a wonderful fund raiser when finances were scarce. Eventually old age caught up with her and in March 1905 she entered her eternal home. Her past pupils erected a Celtic Cross over her grave and it stands tall to this day in the Bathurst Cemetery.
Mother Croke’s grave
Happily, after 150 years, the links between Charleville and Bathurst are alive and though many of the sisters are elderly and some are in poor health, we know that the Mercy mission begun by Mother Ignatius Croke continues in the land down under.
Bernadette Maria Knopek rsm
Southern Province
