Mother Mary Eucharia Ryan (7 October 1860 – 1 May 1929) was an Irish Loreto sister and pioneer of women's higher education.

Life

Mary Eucharia Ryan was baptised Elizabeth Ryan at Templemain church,

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

on 7 October 1860. Her parents, both educationalists originally from

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

, were Laurence and Mary Ryan. On 7 November 1878, Ryan entered the Loreto Abbey noviciate in

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council a ...

, County Dublin, professing with the name Mary Eucharia on 11 May 1881. When she entered the convent, it was noted that she had English, Latin and French. The Loreto Sisters decided to provide university classes for Catholic women in Loreto College, St Stephen's Green in 1894 to provide such students with the ability to sit the arts examinations of the Royal University of Ireland as well as boarding facilities. Ryan taught classics and philosophy to these students, as well as encouraging students to study abroad using her contacts with religious sisters in Europe. During her time as the superior at the Loreto convent in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

from 1901 to 1905, she had contact with the women's colleges of Cambridge University, Newnham and Girton. After the establishment of the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

(NUI) in October 1909, Ryan applied for approval of the Loreto courses by the NUI senate, and full recognition of the Loreto College by NUI on 27 January 1910. These applications were approved in 1911 by the episcopal standing committee, but refused by the NUI senate stating the university's charter forbade it. The Archbishop of Dublin, William Walsh, sanctioned the acquisition of Loreto University Hall, 77 St Stephen's Green, Dublin, which opened with Ryan as the superior on 15 October 1911. For a short time, with support from Walsh, the first-years arts course was recognised by NUI until November 1912. After this, Loreto Hall continued as a hostel for female university students, with the college returning focus to primary and secondary education. Ryan was active with the Hall and women's education until her death on 1 May 1929 at 77 St Stephen's Green. The Loreto Bursary was founded in her honour, and is awarded to students entering

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

with the highest mark in Latin or Greek in their

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certifica ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Mary Eucharia People from County Leitrim 1860 births 1929 deaths Sisters of Loreto 20th-century Irish nuns 19th-century Irish nuns