Sr. Margaret MacCURTAIN

I was familiar with Sr Margaret slightly in UCD of the 1970s and she was a symbol of the changing Ireland and much admired for her inspiration and approachability

My deepest sympathies to Dr Margaret MacCurtain's family and Dominican community. Like so many, I have fond memories of her as my tutor in UCD and count myself lucky to have known her.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dilís.

Sincerest sympathies to all of Margaret's family and community on the loss of such a brilliant, visionary and generous human being. A light gone out - but lights lit by her in so very many minds and hearts. "Dob e ár dhán an trath sin d'aithne."

Deepest sympathy to Eilish and to all dear friends of Sr. Margaret and the extended MacCurtain family.

My memories of Sr.Ben (Margaret) while I was a student at Sion Hill are all extremely happy ones. She was an inspirational teacher and her deep love of all things Irish penetrated through to all of us just by being in her presence.

On a few occasions afterwards when Margaret was visiting the Celtic Studies Department at the University of Toronto, it was very obvious to all who met her and listened to her speak, that she was a warm, talented and very special person indeed.

May our many fond memories of Sr. Margaret MacCurtain be a blessing to us all. Suaimhneas síoraí dá hanam

Margaret (Nee O’Hanlon) Lucey Toronto

Condolences to all Dr Margaret’s loved ones. I was so privileged to have known her and to have her as my tutor. A true inspiration for all who met her.

The members of the Third Tipperary Brigade Old IRA Commemoration Committee offer sincere sympathy to the MacCurtain family on the death of Sr. Margaret. May she enjoy eternal happiness in heaven and may her memory be a blessing, Amen.

Inspirational woman. I read her books..she put women back into the history books because women have been erased from the "official record" for too long...a crime!We will remember her.I saw her on the bus to Monkstown a few years ago and engaged her in conversation as she was a heroine to me.....

We loved Sr. Ben / Margaret MacCurtain. A kind and gentle woman, a Christian foremost, with great courage. I recall acting for her in High Court proceedings against UCD in the early 1980s, a brave move on her part, and she won. She was a delight to work with and for. I don’t think UCD held a grudge, but respected her for it, and they continued a great relationship. My condolences to her extended family and all her friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Ercus Stewart

I first encountered Margaret as an evening course student in UCD in the 1970s. She was such an inspiration, treating History as a very living subject. I attended the launches of the recent publications by Arlen house of Margaret's thesis and essays and it was a joy to witness the high esteem in which Margaret is held and to read a historian with such a caring sensitivity shining through her material. Her funeral mass was a very fitting tribute, with wonderful readings chosen and very moving and accurate tributes.

What a great lady we have lost...inspirational, warm, generous in every way; a soul burning with thirst and desire for both justice and learning. Fond memories of her support and participation with the Roscrea conference. May her noble and gentle soul rest in peace and may her legacy be a better Ireland.

Reading of her passing reminded me of many enjoyable and informative tutorials in the mid 70s. A wonderful and inspirational human being was Sr. Ben and I am saddened at her passing

Sincere sympathy and condolences on the death of Margaret McCurtain. OP.
Margaret’s family and the Dominican sisters have lost a great sister and friend .
She has left a great legacy in education .She was a bright light In her day and is remembered by all whose lives she touched.
May she rest in peace !

May Margaret’s generous soul rest in well-deserved peace. Charismatic, inspirational, compassionate, tolerant, gifted, profound, courageous, heroic Margaret. Vivid memory of sitting beside her in the Great Hall in Earlsfort Terrace in 1963 after the furore of yells and stamping that greeted her being hugged on the platform by Prof Dudley Edwards while being conferred with her PhD. Then her visits to Birr in 1997 to lecture during our 1300th anniversary of Cáin Adomnáin, a law promulgated in Birr in 697 CE for the protection of women, children and clerics in time of war. Thanks, Margaret for all you did for our girls and women - and, conversely, for our boys and men too.

Eilish, as an old, though somewhat younger Aloysian, who met Margaret only a few times, may I say what a pleasure and privilege it was to have been in her company on those occasions. She spoke warmly of her schooldays in Cork and of the teachers and Sisters who had taught her and with whom she kept in touch. My heartfelt sympathy to you and your extended family on her loss. May she rest in the peace she has so truly deserved.

God rest the soul of dear Margaret, RIP. Condolences to her family, community and many friends who will miss her. She was the first Principal of Ballyfermot College of Further Education, and I was both lucky and privileged to be a member of her staff and to have her as a friend. She was a wonderful woman with great learning and humour. May Margaret's soul rest in peace.

Deepest sympathy to Eilish, The MacCurtain families and Dominican sisters on the death of Peig. She was so gentle and warm with a voice that was uplifting. She did not " hide her light under a bushel". Our few meetings (far too few) left lasting and beautiful memories.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis. Slán dear cousin

Very sad to hear about the passing of Sister Benvenuta. I was one of her pupils in history class at Sion Hill 1962 - 64. She was always so interesting and a great listener. Rest in peace with the angels Sister.

My condolences to the Dominican Congregation, the McCurtain family and Margaret's friends. Margaret was an inspiration to many a female student in many walks of life for which she will always have our sincere appreciation. May she rest in peace.

We think of the Dominican congregation, the McCurtain family and all Margaret's great friends on the sad occasion of her passing. I told the girls in our whole school today over the intercom all about this wonderful Dominican woman and all the good she did during her life. As well as telling the students about all the good and great things Sr Ben did, the important message was how she did these things with great humility, friendship and a wonderful sense of fun. She was an inspiration to so many young people as they studied in college and a great friend to many others. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

Sincere Condolences to Margaret's family,
I was privileged to have had her as my History Tutor (UCD mid eighties )
An Inspiration in every respect, her work and memory will resonate always,
Ni bheidh do leithid ann aris. Buiochas diot.
Sapere Aude.

Deepest Sympathy To All The Dominican Sisters And All The Mac Curtain Families On The Passing Of Beloved Margaret
(Sr Ben) In Gratitude For Being My Professor And Tutor In UCD
Always Remember Your Kindness Understanding Smile Joy Forever Your Shining Smiling Face And Always Drawing Out The Very Best In Me!
'Appreciation Is A Wonderful Thing It Makes What Is Excellent In Others Belong To Us As Well'
Voltaire
'Ní Bheidh A Leithéid Ann Aris'
Beannacht John O'Donohue
'Ar D'héis Dhé Go Raibh A Anam Dilis
Rest In Peace
Marianne

My deepest sympathy to Eilish and all the MacCurtin family .Ive lovely memory's of our meetings in
New York and Dublin .with lots of laughs .Rest in Peace

The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle
warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains…..
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains.

Santa Sabina house won’t be the same without Sr.Margaret. She was a true legend and an inspiration for all of us. Sr. Margaret will now live forever in our memories .May her soul rest in eternal peace.
Deepest sympathy to the family and all dear ones. May God comfort you all in this difficult time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh anam uasal Margaret...bean iontach nach mbeidh a leithéid arís ann.

Deepest sympathy to the Dominican Sisters and to the Mac Curtain family on the death of Sr. Margaret. She was a huge inspiration to me and all her history students in UCD. I have the happiest of memories of her. I was so proud of her as a Sister.

Later our paths were to cross in relation to talks on St Brigid. She was a modern day St. Brigid. A light has gone out but it will keep burning in our hearts.

Solas na BhFlaitheas uirthi

Deepest sympathy on the passing of a wonderful talented warm empathetic lady. I will treasure my memories, especially all the laughter while sharing the same house in Ranelagh, 1978-79. Josephine Hays.

Deepest sympathy to Sr Benvenuta's family and to the Dominican sisters. Sr Benvenuta RIP was a real lady and very kind to us very raw country girls in Dominican Hall on Stephen's Green (long since gone!) in the early 60s. Of course we heard her on the radio several times after that when she spoke as an eminent historian and because of her interest in social justice.May she rest in peace!

The world is a sadder place with the death of a "mighty" woman Sr. Ben. She was an inspiration to so many in UCD and else where and never lessened her efforts to promote the rights and needs of women. She was a great orator and she always left you with challenging ideas to think about. May this wonderful woman rest in peace.

As a nun in Ucd in the 1960s, Sr Benvenuta had radiance. Her favourite quotation from Cardinal Newman was. "To live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed often."

May Margaret rest in eternal peace.

In Sion Hill way back in the fifties she taught me to love history but also to think and to question. For this I will always be grateful to her. May she rest in peace.

Margaret was an inspiration to me all my life. The reason I am an early modern historian is largely due to her.
I am so lucky to have known her.

When Margaret turned 50 her cousin Siobhán McKenna sent her a card saying "50 years a growing, and still growing...". Margaret never stopped developing her humanity, intellectual capacity, curiosity about this world or her compassion. Wonderful happy memories of her as my neighbour, mentor and shining light since we lived upstairs-downstairs in separate apartments in Ranelagh 1978-79. Grateful to have had her support at the chrysalis stage of my life, Witness to the extraordinary breadth of her actions for social justice which she performed quietly without fanfare, Honoured to have been her friend, Fondly, Siobhán

A real lady and a nun. She stood up for women's and human rights throughout her life. May she rest in peace and give St. John Paul II a hard time up there.

Margaret translated her calling into her everyday actions. Her love , kindness, humility , support for so many and lovely sense of humour will be forever remembered . To Eilish, her extended family and all the members of the Dominican community my deepest sympathy , she will be greatly missed.

My deepest sympathy to Margaret's family, friends, colleagues,former students and comrades. She made an enormous contribution to Irish society, education and social justice.

In the 1960s, Margaret ('Sister Benvenuta') supervised my MA thesis at UCD. In those faroff days, I was a young layman, interested in reading Theology as well as in studying History. She was one of the first people in whom I confided about my totally unexpected call to religious life. Later, as ordination approached, Margaret gave me advice about combining History and Theology by doing a doctorate in Church History at the Catholic University of America. She was a link with the UCD History Department of Dudley Edwards, Desmond Williams, Maureen Wall, Paddy Anne O'Sullivan and so many others who have gone before us. May Margaret's bright spirit abide, with theirs', in everlasting light!

The passing of Dr Margaret MacCurtain is a milestone. To most of us paying tribute to her she was an outstanding historian, friend and pioneer. As late as 2014, Margaret told me that the Aquinas maxim "love and work" had been the guiding maxim of her life. She remained faithful to those profoundly humanist principles to the end. Margaret was an eminent history teacher in UCD where I was a student there from 1976-1980. I sought her support for the cause of justice for Tipperary farmer Henry (Harry) Gleeson, the victim of the greatest miscarriage of justice in the Republic in 2013. Despite her age, Margaret lent her support to the case wholeheartedly. She was crucial in the pardon that eventually followed for Gleeson. Margaret's input into that was enormous but eclipsed and unsung. She was a real legend. Her loss, despite her great age is profound. She was a truly sophisticated woman, a great intellectual who could, nonetheless accomodate all the folk angst that followed from seismic social change. As she approached the great age of 90, Margaret published a book on the subject of her PhD thesis, Dominic O'Daly. Like all her writing it is lucid and compelling. There is so much one could say about Sr. Ben, but suffice to say she was a real legend, a woman of great individuality, independence, warmth and humour. A true pioneer who got the best out of every day of her life. Her legacy will live on. May she enjoy eternal rest.

On behalf of the American Conference for Irish Studies, I would like to extend condolences to Dr. MacCurtain's family and to the Dominican Sisters. Margaret was a powerhouse in our field, a role model--for young female scholars particularly--and an example of the best that academia can be, in wedding the life of the mind to an impassioned sense of social justice and activism. She will be sorely missed by many, many scholars in our discipline, both as an academic and as a vibrant, generous human being.

A mighty wonderful woman full stop. Hopefully she will meet her God whom she severed so so well. A woman of the future. Probably not appreciate by sticky nuns. Well done. U did the world proud. U saw it as it was. Rest in peace now

My sympathies to Margaret's family and to the Dominican sisters. Margaret was one of the first people to make contact with me after I established Arlen House in 1975, asking me to publish Women in Irish Society. From then on she supported everything that I did. She was my gentle/strong mentor and friend. I am so very sad at her passing. May you rest in peace, Margaret.

Déanaim comhbhrón ó chroí le muintir uile Mhargaret, agus lena deirfiúracha Doiminiceánacha. Bean inspioráideach a roinn a cuid buanna ar chách. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

Sincere sympathy to the Dominican Sisters and Margaret's family. I knew Margaret when I was Captain of the Girl Guides in Sion Hill in 1950! She opened and closed the class room for us and the guides used to flock around her; she was so popular. May she now rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to the Mac Curtains, the Mc Kennas, and all Peig's friends and wider relations. She sure packed in a lot for us all and human kind. John, Deirdre, Aoifin, Elizabeth, Ben Shorten

Wonderful memories of Sr. Benvenuta, my teacher in Sion Hill. She inspired us girls and prepared us for ‘real’ life.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dhílis

I remain eternally grateful for the support and inspiration of Sr Ben during the turbulent 60's in UCD.
A wonderful woman whose courage, intellect and kindness knew no bounds. Heartfelt sympathy to you Eilis and her family and her Dominican sisterhood.

Eilish, what a sad loss. Your sister was a great inspiration. Deepest sympathy also to the Dominican Sisters.

To all the MacCurtain family, I’m very sad to hear about Margaret’s passing. I’ve fond memories of her when I was president of UCD Students Union in 1988 and she was very encouraging and helpful to me during a turbulent time in student/university relations. She was years ahead of her time and will be missed.

My condolences to Margaret's family, friends and Dominican community. Margaret was a great friends with my mother, Sylvia Meehan, they always enjoyed celebrating their birthdays together for many years. May she rest in peace

My sincere sympathies to the family of Sr Margaret MacCurtain. Her presence at Ballyfermot College in the early 80s is still burning. Her vision has been an inspiration to me on my own teaching path and to so many staff and students down through the years. An amazing woman and a shining light for so many people. Rest In Peace

My sincere sympathy to the family of Margaret MacCurtain and her fellow Dominican sisters on her passing.

Erudite, inspirational, acute, compassionate, friend and mentor over many years, and the best company in the world - rest in peace, dear Margaret.

So sorry to hear of Margaret’s death. I have many fond memories of Margaret including co-minding Mookie the dog with Margaret in Trafalgar Terrace many years ago. Thinking of you, Eilis, at this sad time. Aileen.

I wish to add my voice to those of everyone who knew Margaret, to say what a wonderful, inspirational and loving woman she was. She was a great friend and support to me from the moment I went to UCD in the 1970s, was always interested in my academic work, and loved the fact that I was a 'Dominican girl!'
We have so much to be grateful to her for.
Her spirit gleams in eternal light.

My sincere sympathies to Eilis and all Margaret's family, and the Dominican Sisters.

I am holding sacred memories of Margaret in my heart and soul.
May God bless her always.

Beannacht Dé lena hanam uasal.
Suaimhneas síoraí.
Anne O'Connor

May the Lord reward Sr Margaret for a life of lovingly joyful service to the people of God especially the people of Ballyfermot whereshe served the students of the Senior College and followed the way of St Dominic and St Catherine Mass offerd for her sympathy to her sister Eilish her family her Dominican Community in Dun Laoghaire and all the Dominican Sisters . Mgr Dan O Connor and the staff of Dublin Diocesan Education Secretariat

Our sincere condolences on the passing of Sr Margaret. Rest in Peace. From the Monaghan branch of the McKennas.

Deepest sympathy to Eilish & all the MacCurtains & Dominican Sisters .Solas na bhFlaithis uirthi.

"And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed." from Maya Angelou When Great Trees Fall.

Margaret thank you for your testimony...we can be because you existed. Rest in Peace.

Eilish...my sincere condolences on the passing of your sister. I was your secretary in RTE from 1979 to 1981 and had the pleasure of meeting your sister during that time and having a very enjoyable lunch with you both. RIP.

Sincere condolences to Eilish, the MacCurtain family, the Dominican Sisters and all those who love, admire and will miss an exemplary courageous Corkwoman.

Our sincere sympathy on the passing of a giant in Irish Education circles Sr Margaret will always be remembered as a person, a religious Sister who devoted her life in the service of others her championing the rights of women,young people in education was a true reflection of someone living the gospel with a strong focus on social justice. May she rest in peace.