Against The Odds - The History Show on RTE Radio 1

On Sunday the 11th of October, the book "Against the Odds" was featured on RTE Radio 1, The History Show with Myles Dungan. Dr Sinead McCoole talks about a group of Salesian sisters who set up a school in Limerick at the height of the War of Independence in 1920.

One hundred years ago this month, in October of 1920, four nuns arrived in Limerick at the height of the War of Independence. They were members of the Salesian Order – set up in the late 19th century by the Italian priest, Saint John Bosco. These were the first group of Salesian Sisters to set foot in Ireland. 

The four foreigners – three Italian and one English – came to take on a mission of education among some of the poorest and most deprived people in Limerick. 

Their story forms part of a new book published this year by the Salesian Sisters in Limerick – it's called Against The Odds: A History of the Foundation of the Salesian Sisters in Ireland.

Historian, Dr Sinead McCoole is one of the co-authors of that book, and she joins Myles.