SISTER MOIRA DONNELLY

Moira Donnelly
was born in McDowall Avenue, Ardrossan in on 22 June 1931. Her father was Dan Donnelly and her mother was Maggie McKay. Moira has a brother Jim, who is a parishioner and cantor in Saint Peter's.                

Moira was educated at Saint Peter's Primary School, Ardrossan and Saint Michael's College, Irvine. After completing a teacher training course, she taught in Saint Joseph's Academy, Kilmarnock and Saint Margaret's School, Ayr.

On 19 April 1960, Moira took her vows in Rome as a nun with the Society of the Sacred Heart. She then studied at Maynooth University near Dublin and graduated with first class honours as a Bachelor of Divinity. She lectured at Craiglockhart Training College, Edinburgh till it closed in 1981.

After many assignments across Africa, Europe and the United States, Sister Moira lived and worked within the Diocese of Aberdeen.

Moira wrote many articles for publication, an educational children's book and took part in a regular show in the Grampian area. She was also profiled on Scottish Television on her life and work.

Sister Moira was involved in a huge number of different situations through her work over the years and one of the more dramatic ones came when she was working with drug addicts in San Francisco. They had to shelter in the nave of a church when an earthquake struck bringing down the causeway in front of them.

Moira's brother Jim Donnelly, Jim's wife Cathie, their daughter Moira and her aunt Julia Paterson travelled to Aberdeen with other family members to celebrate her Golden Jubilee on 19 April 2010.


Sadly, Sister Moira died in Edinburgh on 2 March 2021. Her Requiem Mass at Saint David's Church in Dalkeith on 15 March was shared with Sister Betty Walker, a fellow nun who died five days after Moira. Both were interred at Dalkeith Cemetery. May they rest in peace.


The photograph above was taken at Sister Moira's graduation in 1978.