Fond tribute to distinguished nun with strong Mayo connections

Sister Margaret Coyne, who was born and reared in the village Cloonrane, Ballindine, on the Mayo/Galway border, has passed away in the loving care of the Daughters of Charity in Southport, England.

Sister Margaret was the sister of Sabina Higgins, wife of former President Michael D. Higgins, and is survived by her siblings Sabina, Eileen McKiernan (Wexford) and Anne Mulligan (Dublin) as well as loving nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces and her extended family.

A selfless, fiercely intelligent woman blessed with an enormous heart, indomitable spirit and a great sense of humour, Sister Margaret was an incredible woman who will be dearly missed by all of her family and relations, who was greatly loved and will be dearly missed by all of her family, colleagues, relations and friends who are incredibly appreciative and proud of her life and achievements.

Sister Margaret trained as a nurse in Galway, where she graduated top of her class and received the Gold Medal.

She trained in Midwifery in Cork, later in Scotland and also spent a number of years working as a nurse in London, before making the decision to take her vows and enter the Daughters of Charity in Mill Hill, London.

In 1984, just before Ethiopia was hit by one of the worst famines to affect it in its history, Sister Margaret volunteered to travel on her own to Mekele in Tigray, Ethiopia to work as a polio nurse.

For the next 23 years, Margaret was to make an incredible contribution to the people of Tigray and Ethiopia, a legacy which has lasted far beyond her retirement.

Margaret’s years in Tigray coincided with periods of devastating famine, war and conflict. Tigray was one of the regions of Ethiopa worst affected by the famine, and Sister Margaret worked tirelessly on the ground as a nurse caring for those dying and sick from starvation and trying to distribute resources to those who were suffering most.

Alongside this work part of her day was spent on the work for those suffering from polio and eye problems.

Trachoma and other preventable and treatable eye diseases were also a huge and ongoing problem in the area, caused and exacerbated by deprivation, poverty, poor hygiene and dry dusty conditions.

A Swiss eye surgeon who was living in Mekele was forced to leave because the ongoing civil war made it too dangerous for lay people from outside Ethiopia to remain in the area, but before she left, Sister Margaret got her to train her in eye surgery.

Over the next decades, Sister Margaret directly saved the sight of many thousands, through her surgery and through St Louise’s, the ophthalmological clinic she helped establish.

The clinic also played a vital role in the provision of services for women, who were often the victims of sexual violence in the recurring conflicts in the region. Sister Margaret continued her work throughout conflict and war, with great courage.

A group of Spanish ophthalmologists who encountered her clinic were deeply impressed and moved by her work, and they subsequently helped develop an international programme, Proyecto Visión, to support her work.

This international initiative brought medical teams to Tigray and helped expand access to eye treatment, as well as training local medical personnel, with the aim of ensuring that the people of Tigray would have the knowledge and facilities to care for their own communities.

Sister Margaret was held in deep affection by the people of Tigray. She was honoured by Tigray for her contribution to its people and her order continue her work in the region to this day, though in recent years sadly that has been in the midst of conflict and danger as the region once again fell into civil war.

After returning to London, Margaret continued nursing in the local community until her recent retirement to Southport where she lived with other sisters from her order until her death.

In recent years her nephew the filmmaker John Higgins made a radio documentary about Sister Margaret’s remarkable life which can be listened to as a podcast online.

She will be laid to rest at the Daughters of Charity, Mill Hill, London, on Wednesday, September 3.

Members of her family and those who worked with her will attend the service.

She will be deeply, lovingly and gratefully remembered. May she rest in perpetual light, and peace and love.

- Tribute by former President Michael D. Higgins.