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Margaret
from : Eire personal object : a photograph This is a school photograph of me when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was born in Dublin in 1941 and brought up at St Philomena’s Orphanage. I never knew my parents or the circumstances of my birth. At the age of 7, I was fostered by a family in Wexford, along with another girl from the orphanage called Mary. It was not a happy experience as we were treated harshly, but I was happy at the local National School and had some good friends. When I was 12 my life improved a lot. The Moreton family, whose daughter and nieces were at school with me, very kindly took myself and Mary to live with them in their home, where we were treated as members of the family. Later on, at 18 years of age, I moved to Liverpool to work at St. Vincent’s Hospice and trained as a nurse. In 1966 I married Arthur and settled in Wirral, continuing to work as a nurse. I am still close to Mary, her children and grandchildren, and we see each other as sisters. We still stay with members of the Moreton family, who gave me this photograph – the only photograph I have of me as a child. In the photo you can see me – the smallest girl with the biggest smile – on the third row down, at the end on the right. Mary and some of the Moreton girls are also in the photograph. It is a treasure from my childhood – a record of myself and some of my Irish family. chosen artwork : Parts of the Face: French Vocabulary Lesson Larry Rivers, 1961 This painting stood out to me because of the abstract brushstrokes with no definite beginning or end, contrasting with the detail of some features like in the eye and mouth. This is the artist’s wife, so he has shown to us what he sees in his wife – taking a person in, and paying attention to them. It is a very loving gesture, showing how intimately he knows her. This relates to me being a nurse, and reading a person’s face to know about them. I believe you should speak from the heart. |
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