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Dr. Nora Stack



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,
at mar her address is given as Moore Ave, Harton, South Shields (see map),
at mar he is at a temporary address at St. Gregory's Catholic presbytery, Harton, South Shields (see below),
mar 31 July 1933 [her age 30, him age 46] [GRO.UK], NOT 29 June, at St. Gregory's Catholic church, Harton, South Shields (see map and satellite)
to Frank Flanagan [born 11th Dec 1886] 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.




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.




Patrick Ryan,
solicitor,
mar Josephine Daly,
listed as of Main St, Charleville, Co.Cork, at Marie's birth 1887,
can't find them in 1901 census,
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,
    she is listed as a boarder at the Ursuline Convent, Blackrock, Cork, in [Census, 1901],
    she is home with parents in 1911 census,
    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 22 Apr 1887, Kensington, London, son of Samuel Henry Wilson, or Lea-Wilson],
    "Perceval" on census form, "Percival" on grave,
    Percival was educ New College, Oxford,
    see his entry in Woodford, Co.Galway, in [Census, 1911],
    he was an RIC officer, see entry in [RIC officers],
    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,
    two memorial stained glass windows to him in Church of Ireland church, Gorey,
    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 by [Thom's, 1945], still there at death,
    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, location: 96 B, St.Kevin's, go in gate, far LHS, nearly in corner.


  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.




The movie Michael Collins (1996)

It was said that Capt. Percival Lea-Wilson abused a number of prisoners after the 1916 Rising surrender, including Ned Daly and the old Tom Clarke. It is said that 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 angrily watching and taking note.



See the script in Michael Collins: Film Diary and Screenplay by Neil Jordan (1996).
"Captain Lee-Wilson", an army officer, not an RIC officer, says: "Now, show me the ringleaders of this little farce".
A detective called "Smith" abuses the prisoners.

See an exchange in the Irish Times about the truth of this:



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