My ancestors - Stack - Contents

Dr. Nora Stack

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • Kathleen Lynn: Irishwoman, Patriot, Doctor, Margaret O hOgartaigh, 2006.

Nora Stack.

Dr. Nora Stack, born 29th June 1903,
studied medicine in TCD, one of first women doctors in Ireland,
had to work her way through university - family had no money,
BA TCD 1926,
while she was at TCD, in 1927, the Catholic Hierarchy issued an order that no Catholic should attend TCD "under pain of grave sin" [this was reinforced 1944, "Any Catholic who disobeys this law is guilty of mortal sin", order finally scrapped 1970],

Nora received MB (Hons) TCD, 1st class hons, 75 %, 3rd place, Nov 1928, living 35 Heytesbury St at time,
R.M.O., Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Upr Baggot St, July 1929 - Aug 1930, incl 6 months as House Physician, 7 months as House Surgeon,
one day, staff all gone to a rugby international, Nora in charge, Nick O'Dwyer taken in from the S Co.Dublin Hunt [Frank hunted with O'Dwyer, but he and Nora didn't meet at this stage], she had to give him 36 stitches without anaesthetic, no one there to give one, at one stage he looked up weakly, "Is this girl qualified?",
D.Ph. TCD June 1931,
doctor in Dublin,
in 1932 when she met Frank she was working at Royal Hospital for Consumption for Ireland, Newtown Mountkennedy sanatorium, Co.Wicklow,
Assistant School M.O. in South Shields, Newcastle, NE England, Nov 1932,
mar Thur 29th June 1933 [her 30th birthday, him age 46], South Shields [GRO.UK],
to Frank Flanagan and had issue.

Nora (centre, back) working as a house-surgeon somewhere, with a nun and nurses.

Nora Stack.

(Left) Nora Stack, (Right) the wife of General Sean Mac Eoin (family friend, Free Stater),
Social and Personal magazine, 1954.

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Dr. Marie Lea-Wilson

In Nora Stack's medical class at TCD in the late 1920s was Marie Lea-Wilson, the widow of an assassinated RIC officer, in her late 30s.

• References:
  • Research by David Neary.
  • MUSKERRY in [Burkes Peerage, 1970]

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • File of Lea-Wilson household bills, [DCA].
  • Article on the Lea-Wilsons, David Neary, The Holly Bough, Cork, 2009.

Patrick Ryan,
solicitor,
mar Josephine Daly,
listed as of Main St, Charleville, Co.Cork, at Marie's birth 1887,
see entry at 63 Main St, Charleville, in [Census, 1911],
[Burkes Peerage, 1970] lists him as of The Turrets, Charleville,
had issue:

1. Marie Ryan,
   later better known as Dr. Marie Lea-Wilson (see search),
   Catholic, born 3 May 1887, Main St, Charleville, Co.Cork [GROI],
   Marie Monica Ryan, listed as Marie Monica Eugenie Ryan at birth and mar, though "Maria" on grave,
   known to her friends as "Monica", think NOT Monique, we have a book inscribed "To Nora from her friend Monica", also nicknamed "The Monarch" in our family,
   listed as living The Turrets, Charleville, at mar,
   mar 27 Jan 1914, Catholic Church, Charleville [GROI]
   to Capt. Percival Lea-Wilson [see search, Church of England, born 1887, England, son of Samuel Henry Wilson, or Lea-Wilson],
   "Perceval" on census form, "Percival" on grave,
   see his entry in Woodford, Co.Galway, in [Census, 1911],
   he was an RIC officer,
   he was killed by the IRA, in Gorey, Co.Wexford, 15 June 1920 (NOT 1921), age 33, in the War of Independence,
   he was bur Putney Vale Cemetery, London, see his grave,
   after his death Marie started a new life, went to study medicine at TCD, in her late 30s, became doctor in Dublin,
   she was in Nora Stack's medical class at TCD, though Marie quite a bit older than Nora they became good friends, only 3 women in the class, all Catholic,
   Marie graduated 1928 (age 41),
   she later acted as godmother 1934 to Nora's first child Peggy, which leads to a story about the lost Caravaggio,
   lived 19 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, there as at [Thom's, 1945],
   died Tue 20 July 1971, age 84 yrs [GROI],
   death notice in Irish Times and Irish Independent, Wed 21 July,
   funeral Thur 22 July, St.Andrew's church, Westland Row, Dublin,
   bur Deansgrange Cemetery, St.Kevin's Section, 96-B.

   
   

2. Adeline Ryan,
   mar 1 Aug 1916 [as his 3rd wife, him age 62] to Hamilton Deane-Morgan, 4th Baron Muskerry [born 18 May 1854],
   he was father of 5th and 6th Barons by his 1st wife,
   he died 9 June 1929, age 75 yrs,
   she died 14 Mar 1950.

Grave of Marie Lea-Wilson, Deansgrange Cemetery, Co.Dublin.
Photo from David Neary.

It was said that Capt. Percival Lea-Wilson abused the old Tom Clarke after the 1916 Rising surrender, and an angry Michael Collins marked Lea-Wilson for later assassination. (Lea-Wilson was killed in 1920.)
A scene inspired by this (with James Connolly being abused) features in the movie Michael Collins (1996), with Collins marking the man for later assassination. Lea-Wilson appears in the movie cast, but in this scene the abuser of prisoners is "Smith, a civilian official". I am not sure where Lea-Wilson appears in the film.
See an exchange in the Irish Times about the truth of this:

• Letter, 30 Sept 1996
• Letter, 9 Oct 1996
• Eoghan Harris, 12 Oct 1996
• Letter, 17 Oct 1996
• Letter, 22 Oct 1996
• Neil Jordan, 23 Oct 1996
• Eoghan Harris, 26 Oct 1996