Anna Maria Ball became Anna Maria O'Brien (1785 - 28 March 1871) was an Irish

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Life

Anna Maria Ball was born in 1785 at 5 Werburgh Street,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. She was the second daughter of John Ball, a silk merchant, and his second wife Mabel Clare (née Bennett). Her full brother was Nicholas Ball, one of the first Roman Catholics to be appointed a High Court judge, and her sisters included Mother Frances Mary Teresa Ball of the Sisters of Loreto. Ball was educated at St Mary's convent, Micklegate Bar,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

from July 1800 until 1803. Upon her return to Dublin, she began her philanthropic work. In November 1805, she married a wealthy Dublin merchant, John O'Brien, bringing a dowry of £5000. Ball became friends with

Mary Aikenhead Mother Mary Frances Aikenhead (19 January 1787 – 22 July 1858) was born in Daunt's Square off Grand Parade, Cork, Ireland. Described as one of nursing's greatest leaders, she was the founder of the Catholic religious institute, the Relig ...

in 1807 when she attended the profession of her older sister Cecilia into the

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they t ...

in Cork. Aikenhead regularly visited Ball and her husband at their home on

Mountjoy Square Mountjoy Square () is a Georgian architecture, Georgian garden square in Dublin, Ireland, on the Northside (Dublin), Northside of the city just under a kilometre from the River Liffey. One of five Georgian squares in Dublin, it was planned and d ...

, and they would visit the Dublin poor together. She was also a close friend of the future archbishop of Dublin, Daniel Murray, a relationship she used to help Aikenhead in her foundation of the Religious Sisters of Charity. In 1809, she was involved in the establishment of the House of Refuge in Ashe Street, Dublin, and oversaw its move to Stanhope Street in 1814 to be taken over by the new order of the Sisters of Charity. She was a generous patron of the Sisters of Charity, aiding in the fund-raising for St. Vincent's Hospital, with her chaperoning three sisters to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study nursing in 1833. Alongside the sisters, Ball made visits to female prisoners in

Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Gaol ( ga, Príosún Chill Mhaighneann) is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leade ...

and to Jervis Street Hospital. She was appointed the manager of the sisters' school on King's Inns Street, a position she filled until old age prevented her from visiting. Ball also supported the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland which was founded by her youngest sister, Frances Mary Teresa Ball. She provided the funds for the sisters to buy their house on

St Stephen's Green St Stephen's Green () is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by L ...

. Ball had no children of her own, but she raised the three orphaned children of her elder half-brother, John Ball after his death in 1812. She died on 28 March 1871 at her home in Mountjoy Square, after suffering from senility for two years previously. A portrait of Ball by

Nicholas Joseph Crowley Nicholas Joseph Crowley (6 December 1819–4 November 1857) was an Irish genre and portrait painter. He was highly esteemed as a portrait painter, and was especially good in painting portrait groups. Early life and education Crowley was born ...

from 1845 is held by the Sisters of Charity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Anna Maria 1785 births 1871 deaths 19th-century Irish women 19th-century Irish people Philanthropists from Dublin (city) 19th-century Roman Catholics 19th-century Irish philanthropists