Born: 26 December 1849, Ireland
Died: 11 August 1897
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: NA
This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Frances Clarke. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
MacCarthy, Mary (Mother Mary Stanislaus) (1849–97), Dominican nun, educator, and poet, was born in Dublin 26 December 1849, eldest of nine children of Denis Florence MacCarthy, poet, and Elizabeth MacCarthy (née Donnelly; d. 1874). In her infancy her father dedicated poetry to her, notably a sentimental piece ‘A valentine: to my daughter “Murillo”, fourteen months old’, which appeared in the Dublin University Magazine (Mar. 1851). Her early years were spent at the family home, ‘Summerfield’, Dalkey, Co. Dublin. Educated from the age of 12 at St Catherine’s Dominican convent, Sion Hill, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, she entered the convent’s noviciate (December 1867), and was professed on 14 June 1870, receiving the name ‘Stanislaus’. A key figure in the Sion Hill community, where she taught English and was for many years mistress of schools, she was remembered by former pupils as an enthusiastic and inspiring teacher. Having assisted in preparing a new foundation in Eccles St., Dublin (December 1882–January 1883), she returned to Sion Hill, where in September 1886 she began teaching in the convent’s new university department, which prepared female students for RUI examinations. Among her earliest undergraduate students was Katherine Murphy (later Hogan), who took first place in Ireland in the BA examinations for 1890. Elected sub-prioress of Sion Hill (1889, 1892), in September 1893 she joined the new community at St Mary’s, Merrion Square, Dublin, where she continued teaching in the English department.
MacCarthy began writing religious poetry as a young woman, and probably had her first work published in the first edition (December 1873) of the Irish Monthly, edited by Fr Matthew Russell. Her association with the magazine continued until June 1895, her work appearing under the initials ‘S. M. S.’. She also contributed to other catholic journals, notably the Rosary. Among her other publications were her biography of St Emmelia, A saint amongst sinners (1885), and A birthday book of our dead (1886). Appointed sub-prioress of St Mary’s community (August 1896), she was taken ill with typhoid fever while spending the summer of 1897 at Sion Hill, and died 11 August 1897. A collection of her verse was published under the title Songs of Sion in 1898. Her niece, Ethna MacCarthy, was also a poet.