My research explores the lives of former Irish nuns, one of whom is my mother. The women are now in their eighties and their stories need to be told and need to be heard before they are lost. I consider the various reasons why the women entered a religious order in 1950s Ireland and show how their stories shine a light on the hidden lives of nuns prior to, and following, Vatican II (1962-1965). I draw on the allegory of the navigatio (a medieval sea voyage tale) as a metaphor to explore how the women transcended dominant social scripts of the time and navigated the transgressive process of leaving convent life decades later to re-enter the secular world they renounced as teenagers.

My mother’s story is nested within my story. As I consider the intergenerational narratives I have inherited I acknowledge how my multiple roles are entangled in the research.

School of Education

Lead supervisor: Keith Turvey