'A wonderful woman, always gracious': Cork's Sr Miriam Twohig dies aged 102 

Tributes have been paid to Sr Miriam Twohig of the Religious Sisters of Charity, who has died aged 102.

Born Eileen Twohig on March 14, 1924, she was a native of Coolavokig in North Cork and moved west to Dripsey when her father took a teaching position there.

She followed in his footsteps and taught as a lay teacher at St Vincent’s in Cork before joining the Religious Sisters of Charity at the age of 32, where she continued to teach including in Blarney.

She passed her driving test before entering the convent and was the only sister who could drive when she joined, driving the other sisters to appointments, and continuing to drive until she was 90.

Sr Patricia Somers, who was with Sr Twohig when she died, told The Echo that she had been unwell in recent weeks.

“Her last words were ‘How is everybody?’ She didn’t think of herself, ever.” 

She described Sr Twohig as “a woman of great freedom” because she was used to her independence when she came in at 32, and who took every opportunity to travel.

“She spent her entire working life in education ministry. She was a primary school teacher before she entered the sisters. She decided at one stage that children should learn to swim, so she went off and took lessons herself so she could teach the children.”

Sr Somers added that she was a gifted musician who sang in the cathedral choir in Cork until covid, and was always keen to travel to an event or a feast day celebration. 

She continued: “One of the most remarkable things about her was that in her later years she was really living in the present — she wasn’t worrying about anything to do with the past or future, she was very content where she was.”

Sr Twohig had been a resident of Marymount for three years, and she got “wonderful care there”, she added.

“She was a wonderful woman, always gracious — if I could be half as good as her I’d be ready to go to heaven.”