Everyman
Sister Irene
1993 • E12 Jul 25, 1993
Since her draughty caravan trailer was blown away in a gale, Irene Gibson has had to move from under the shadow of Ireland's holy mountain, Croagh Patrick. Irene is a hermit. Now she lives in a cottage, but plans tobuildaseriesofcellsfor fellow hermits. It is an extraordinary plan for the late 20th century, a life of frugality, solitude and prayer, of sharing "the loneliness of Christ" in a remote corner of County Mayo. Six years ago, as Sister Irene , she left the Benedictine monastery where she was a nun. She says, "You can't survive in solitude if you're running away from people, because solitude is communion.... people are with you in prayer and in your heart."