The "Walking Nuns" are still walking: a study of Mercy sisters in Ireland

Abstract

This dissertation looks at the life and work of a remarkable woman called Catherine McAuley in the early part of the 19th century. She emerged out of a distinct social economic background, where women's voices were barely heard because of massive social, cultural, and political constraints. This was a brutal society where many people lived in appalling poverty, especially women. It appeared that structures were so intractable that they could not be changed, and so the plight of the poor would continue.