Born: 7 October 1860, Ireland
Died: 1 May 1929
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Mary Eucharia
This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Deirdre Bryan. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Ryan, Elizabeth (Mary Eucharia) (1860–1929), Loreto sister and pioneer of women’s higher education, was baptised Elizabeth Ryan on 7 October 1860 at Templemain church, Co. Leitrim, daughter of Laurence Ryan and his wife Mary. Her parents, noted educationists, were originally from Co. Tipperary. Her father was headmaster of the Model School in Kilkenny, and later taught in Dublin; in 1890 he was appointed vice-principal of Marlborough Training College. Elizabeth entered the Loreto Abbey noviciate in Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin, on 7 November 1878 and made her perpetual profession on 11 May 1881, taking the religious name ‘Mary Eucharia’. At her entry, it was noted that she had English, French, and Latin. In 1894 the order decided to provide centralised university classes for catholic women in the Loreto College, 53 St Stephen’s Green, for all students who wished to sit the arts examinations of the RUI, with boarding facilities available for students from other Loreto schools. Ryan, who had a keen interest in classics and philosophy, taught these subjects. Also, due to her interest in languages, she encouraged her students to study abroad, utilising her continental sisters as contacts. She further augmented her interest in women’s higher education during a term as superior in the order’s Cambridge convent (1901–5), during which she interacted with the women’s colleges, Newnham and Girton, at Cambridge University.
In October 1909, after the establishment of the NUI, Ryan applied to the NUI senate for approval of the Loreto courses, and on 27 January 1910 she applied for full recognition of the Loreto College by the NUI. Her applications, approved in 1911 by the episcopal standing committee, presided over by Cardinal Michael Logue, were then sent to the NUI senate, which refused recognition on the grounds that the terms of the university’s charter forbade it. Archbishop William Walsh then sanctioned the acquisition of Loreto University Hall, 77 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin. It opened on 15 October 1911, with Ryan as superior and thirty-seven residents. The hall was within easy reach of both the Loreto College and UCD, and with backing from Walsh, a first-year arts course was recognised by the NUI for a limited time. When the registrar of the NUI ended the period of recognition in November 1912, Loreto Hall continued as a hostel for women university students, although the college shifted its focus back to primary and secondary education.
Ryan continued her active involvement in the Hall and in women’s education until her death at 77 St Stephen’s Green on 1 May 1929. A commemorative plaque hangs in Loreto Hall, and a memorial scholarship is offered in her name for Loreto pupils at UCD taking Latin or Greek.