Mary Bonaventure Browne facts for kids

Mother Mary Bonaventure Browne (born after 1610, died after 1670) was a Poor Clare nun, an abbess (a leader of a group of nuns), and an important Irish historian. She lived during a time of big changes in Ireland and helped keep Irish culture and history alive.

Her Family Background

Mary Bonaventure Browne came from a rich family in Galway, Ireland. Her father, Andrew Browne fitz Oliver, was a successful merchant and part of a group called The Tribes of Galway, which were powerful families in the city. Her uncle, Martin Browne, had a famous doorway from his house, called the Browne doorway, which you can still see today in Eyre Square.

Her family was very religious. Her older brother, Francis, became a Franciscan friar. In 1632, Mary and her sister Catherine decided to become nuns and joined the Poor Clares. That same year, her father was asked to be one of the town's sheriffs, but he refused to take a special oath called the Oath of Supremacy. This oath would have meant he had to accept the King of England as the head of the church, which went against his Catholic beliefs.

Joining the Poor Clares

The Poor Clares were a group of nuns who had been forced to leave Dublin in 1630. They moved to a quiet place called Bethleham, near Lough Ree in County Westmeath. Their community grew quickly, and soon there were sixty nuns living there.

In 1642, some people in Galway asked the Poor Clares to come to their city. So, twelve nuns and two new members (called novices) moved to Galway. Mary and Catherine, who had officially become nuns in 1633, were part of this group.

In Galway, the nuns had different leaders, or Abbesses. Mary Bonaventure Browne became the Abbess from 1647 to 1650. Her sister Catherine took over as Abbess after her. Their convent was located near what is now St. Augustine Street in Galway.

Leading the Convent in Galway

As Abbess, Mother Mary Bonaventure Browne did some very important work. She asked a scholar named Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh to finish translating The Rule of St. Clare into the Irish language. This book contained the rules and guidelines for the Poor Clares. It was a big project, and Mac Fhirbhisigh translated about two-thirds of it from English into Irish. He finished it in 1657. This shows how much Mother Mary cared about the Irish language and culture.

She also made plans to open a new convent in Loughrea, which would be a "daughter-house" of the Galway convent. However, because of the wars happening in the area, this new convent probably didn't last very long.

In 1649, Mother Mary asked the leaders of Galway for a new place to build their monastery. Their current home was too expensive. The city leaders agreed and gave them land on an island called Oileán Ealtanach, which is now known as Nun's Island. The nuns built a large house there using money from the sisters' dowries (money or property brought by a woman to her marriage or, in this case, to her religious order).

Life in Exile

Even after moving to Nun's Island, the nuns faced many challenges. There was a terrible sickness (plague), a long nine-month siege of Galway, and a lot of fighting and hunger. In 1652, Galway surrendered to Sir Charles Coote and his army, which brought a new, difficult government.

In 1653, a new rule was made that said all nuns had to either get married or leave the country. Most of the Galway nuns traveled by ship to Spain. Sadly, Mother Cicely Dillon, who was an Abbess at Bethleham, died during the journey. Mary's sister, Mother Catherine Bernard Browne, died in Madrid in 1654.

Her Work as a Historian

During her time in exile in Madrid, Mother Mary Bonaventure Browne wrote a very large book in the Irish language around 1670. It's a great shame that this original book is now lost. It would have been very rare to have a prose (regular writing, not poetry) book written in Irish by a woman from before the 1900s.

Although most of her book is lost, some people believe that the story that begins the records of the Poor Clares of Galway might be an English translation of part of her book. Her work covered many different topics, including:

• Historical discussions about religious leaders and persecutions.
• The stories of Poor Clares and other religious people who were martyred (killed for their beliefs) in Ireland.
• The lives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Catherine.
• The actions of Saint Colette.
• The lives of other holy people and queens.
• Discussions about the Rosary and other prayers.

People who knew Mother Mary described her as a very holy and wise nun. She was good at speaking English, Irish, and Spanish. She was seen as a great example of how a nun should live according to her rules. She sent a "True Chronicle" (a historical record) that she wrote back to the convent in Galway, along with other valuable items like a chalice and religious relics. Sadly, many of these things were lost or burned during wars in 1691.

It is also believed that she wrote a book in English about the life of her sister, Catherine Browne. Her exact year of death is not known, but it was likely after 1670 and before 1691.

See also

• Tadhg Og Ó Cianáin
• Peregrine Ó Duibhgeannain
• Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh
• Mícheál Ó Cléirigh
• James Ussher
• Sir James Ware
• Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh
• Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh
• Uilliam Ó Duinnín
• Charles O'Conor (historian)
• Eugene O'Curry
• John O'Donovan (scholar)