Visit a new temporary exhibition exploring the life of District Midwife and Nurse Mary Anne Fanning from 1880 to 1964.

Mary Anne worked as a District Midwife and Nurse in Co Kerry and then in Garristown, Co Dublin, over the course of a 48-year long career.

Through Mary Anne’s story, this exhibition seeks to highlight and celebrate the often-unsung contributions of community midwives to maternity care in Ireland in the early 20^th century.


Discover what life was like for a rural midwife through Mary Anne’s personal artefacts, family stories, audio recordings and community research, while enjoying poetry and artwork created in her memory. Visitors are also invited to share their own recollections in our Midwives’ Memory Book.

Learn more about the role of community midwives who sustained the lives of mothers and babies while birthing at home, often under very poor conditions.

From the midwife’s bag to documents and letters that provide an insight into Mary Anne’s work during this period, discover an exhibition about one woman’s vocation and the role of maternity care as it developed in the emerging Irish State.

This exhibition is a project by the Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN), researched and curated by Emma Laffey, Skehana & District Heritage Group, County Galway, with support from co-curators Dr Éimear O’Connor, Director of Collections & Access, National Museum of Ireland, and Lorna Elms, iCAN Development Officer.

iCAN supports volunteer groups to gather, record, and share their community’s history and heritage online. An initiative of the National Museum of Ireland, iCAN is delivered in partnership with the Heritage Council and participating Local Authority Heritage Officers. 

Public programme

Talk: A Life from a Midwife’s Bag
Saturday 19 October 2024 | 2pm - 3.30pm
Join Emma Laffey for a special talk about her research on community midwives and how it led to this exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland. FIND OUT MORE

Talk: Nursing and Midwifery in the Poor Law Unions
Sunday 17 November 2024 | 2pm - 3pm
Lisa McGeeney examines how the professionalisation and development of nursing and midwifery was reflected in the poor-law unions between 1882 and 1922. FIND OUT MORE

Demonstration: Bobbin Lace and Crochet
Friday 6 December 2024 | 11am - 2pm  
Join members of the Headford Lace Project to learn more about lace, which often featured in children’s garments like the Christening gown on display in this exhibition. FIND OUT MORE

Workshop: Make a Rush Rattle
Friday 7 February 2025 | 2pm - 4pm
In days gone by, rattles made with natural resources such as rushes were used to keep babies entertained. Join Educator Tom Doyle to learn how to make your own rush rattle.

 Workshop: Researching your Midwife Ancestors
Saturday 8 February 2025 | 12noon - 1pm
Join the Mayo Genealogy Group to find your midwife ancestors with hints, tips and techniques for navigating those public records accessible online.

Talk: Midwifery and Traveller Culture
Saturday 22 February 2025 | 2pm - 3pm
Join Oein DeBhairduin, Traveller Culture Collections Officer at the NMI as he discusses midwifery traditions and customs through objects, recordings and folklore.

 International Women’s Day: Midwifery in Our Communities
Saturday 8 March 2025 | | 2pm - 4pm
Join various iCAN groups as they share midwifery research from their localities.