Nurse Mary Leonard ( nee Merriman) 1904-1991

Biography & Career

Mary Merriman was born in 1904 in Killiskey, Ashford, County Wicklow. She attended the local Nun’s Cross primary school. When she was 12 years old. She started working for Dr. Aubrey O’Connor, the local Medical Officer of Health. By the age of 18 (1922) she had saved enough to start her Nurses training at the Rotunda Hospital Dublin where she attained the 2^nd highest results in her year. After qualifying as a State Certified Midwife, Nurse Leonard worked with the Leinster Nurses Cooperative in Dublin for four years.

In 1938 Nurse Mary Merriman returned to Wicklow working as a District Midwife cycling great distances to attend her clients. In 1939 she married John (Jack) Leonard, becoming Nurse Mary Leonard. Also, in 1939 she opened her first Maternity Nursing home on Castle Avenue, Wicklow Town.

In 1956 she moved to Dunbur Road, Wicklow and opened a larger Maternity Home called “Prague”. She retired in July 1976 aged 71. During her long career as a Midwife she delivered over 2,080 babies. To this day people speak fondly and with great respect for her skill. Many a person in Wicklow Town were delivered by Nurse Mary Leonard over the years. She passed away in 1991 aged 87 years.

About Us

We are a relatively new group with iCAN and our primary focus is on archival film, photography and the stories there in. Wicklow Audio-Visual Archive ( WAVA) was formed from a collective who produced a documentary called “The Engineer’s Lens” in 2023 , supported by The Heritage Council.