An English-based historian has called for a reappraisal of the positive contribution of Nuns to Ireland before memory of it is lost forever.

Writing in the Irish Times, Gillian O’Brien, a Reader in Modern Irish History at Liverpool John Moores University, said it is impossible to fully understand the development of Ireland without considering the significance of the female religious orders.

“Overlooking their contributions to communities across the country erases women (once again) from history. And there is an urgency about recording the history of the buildings and landscapes, their material culture and the lives of the women who lived in the convents before it is too late”, she said.

Ms O’Brien noted that convents formed the backbone of Irish Catholic society from the late-18th century until well into the 20th century.

“Many nuns attended university, many had fulfilling and varied careers. Female religious orders were significant as employers – of teachers and healthcare staff, of staff in the convents and of those who provided goods and services to the convents”.

She acknowledged the story of nuns and convents in Ireland is not black and white, but added that it is not sufficient to consider all nuns as cruel overseers of Magdalene laundries or as comic characters in popular entertainment.

She concluded with a plea that time is of the essence.

“The stories of the communities (inside and outside the buildings) must be recorded, and they must be recorded now”.