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THE Meadowlands Hotel reverberated with laughter on Friday night when 19 ladies who trained as nurses in a London hospital reunited after 42 years.
“In 1972 there was about 70 people who started training to be nurses in Whipps Cross Hospital and about 40 of them were from Ireland,” said Maria Hickey from O’Rahilly’s Villas, who trained in Whipps Cross.
“It’s 42 years later so we decided to have a reunion. There’s 19 of us here tonight, with four from Tralee, all celebrating our youth. It was quite emotional meeting again tonight. We did have fun and we all looked after each other as we didn’t know anything about London when we went over there,” said Maria.
There were four Tralee ladies in the group 42 years ago – Maria Hickey, Noreen Leahy, Aileen Shanahan and Eileen Curtin – who enjoyed catching up with their old friends.
“I’ve great memories and they’re all mad,” said Aileen Shanahan from The Spa. “It was daunting going over to London but I suppose we had to because money was scarce at the time, but I’ve great memories,” said Aileen.
The ladies went to Brandon and the Maherees on Friday and they planned on going to Killarney on Saturday, taking in Aghadoe Heights, Ross Castle and Muckross, followed by a trip to Tralee Golf Club for a drink and then for a meal in Spa Seafoods. No doubt they’ll be more laughter and stories told along the way.
At the Whipps Cross Nurses reunion in the Meadowlands Hotel on Friday night were, seated from left; Liz McTiernan,Aileen Shanahan, Mary Jeffers, Eileen Curtin, Anne Clancy and Mary McLoughlin. Back from left; Christine Holman, Carmel O’Flaherty, Claire Felle, Debbie Colley, Noreen Leahy, Michelle Vale, Sylvia fallon, Maria Hickey and Margaret Cotter. Photo by Dermot Crean
The Kerry ladies who attended the Whipps Cross Hospital to train as nurses back in 1972 who reunited in the Meadowlands Hotel on Friday night. Seated from left; Maria Hickey, Aileen Shanahan, Noreen Leahy, Eileen Curtin, Carmel O’Flaherty and Margaret Cotter. Photo by Dermot Crean
The London based ladies who attended the Whipps Cross Hospital to train as nurses in 1972 at the reunion in the Meadowlands Hotel on Friday night. From left; Debbie Colley, Christine Holman, Carmel O’Flaherty, Claire Felle, Mary Jeffers and Michelle Vale. Photo by Dermot Crean
