A year ago, at the Gort launch of Guaire Magazine’s 2024 issue, historian Sr. de Lourdes Fahy made an extraordinary gesture. She gave to the members of the Guaire Magazine Committee documents which consisted of at least five years of her work – with just one request, that it be published in book format and distributed as widely as possible.

She called it her ‘swan song’.

The Guaire Committee has done as promised: the book’s introduction gives a history of the beginning of Gort town and a detailed history of who lived in the houses in Gort.

They Lived in Gort – produced with the financial help of Gort Credit Union, Sullivan’s Hotel and the O’Grady family of the Lady Gregory Hotel and AIB – is now available for sale in Gort, Labane and Cloone.

Sr de Lourdes is a native of Ballyaneen, Gort. She was educated in Kiltartan N.S. and in St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Gort. Her love for history, especially local history, was first ignited in Kiltartan N.S. where stories of St. Colman of Corker and Kilmacduagh, of Lady Gregory and Coole Park, and W. B. Yeats’ connection with Thoor Ballylee were recalled by the teachers and local people.

She entered the Convent of Mercy, Gort and made her First Profession in 1957. After graduating with a BA, HDE from University College, Galway she taught first in Seamount College, Kinvara.

This was followed by teaching assignments in St. Joseph’s, Gort, Mary Immaculate School, Lisdoonvarna and finally in Gort Community School from where she retired in 2002.

She was urged in 1973 by Fr. Martin Coen, a fellow pupil of Kiltartan N.S. and later diocesan historian, to publish her M.A. thesis entitled Education in the Diocese of Kilmacduagh in the Nineteenth Century before her teaching duties and responsibilities as Principal took precedence over serious historical research for some years.

After retirement she published Many Leaves, One Root – A History of the Parish of Kiltartan (2004). This was followed in 2007 by Near Quiet Waters – The Story of Gort Mercy Convent, to mark the 150th anniversary of the coming of the Sisters to Gort in 1857.

Sr. de Lourdes was one of the founders in 1996 of the Kiltartan Gregory Museum, which served previously as the local National School at the historic Kiltartan Cross.

Her interest in genealogy led her to becoming one of the founding members in 2010 of Ireland Reaching Out, a movement which has enabled thousands of the Irish diaspora to find their roots.

Recalling those years, Sr. de Lourdes says, “I was deeply moved in 2013 on being presented with the Bene Merenti award for church and community work.”

This experience prompted her to compile her latest production They Lived in Gort.

By coincidence, copies of the book appeared on October 10, the same day as the news broke that Galway County Council had purchased Gort Convent for the use of voluntary groups dedicated to the social, cultural and economic interests of the town.

In retirement, Sr. de Lourdes enjoys reading, walking, music, following current affairs and sport, especially hurling. She wants to deepen her knowledge of religious and missionary matters.

But, as her first ‘retirement’ led to a writing career, who can say if this swan has no more songs?

Pictured: Denis Bartley, then chair of the Gort Credit Union, who presents Colman Glynn and Tonii Kelly of the Guaire Magazine a share of the Community Fund.