Honorary doctorate for Limerick nun in Malaysia
SISTER Enda Ryan may have left Galbally for Malaysia 67 years ago but she has never lost contact with her local village and beloved county of Limerick.
However, Limerick’s loss was Malaysia’s gain as she founded Assunta primary and secondary schools in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, in 1958.
Sister Enda, as she is fondly known, is highly respected in the Southeast Asian country for her contribution to education and charities spanning an incredible eight decades. She has played a central role in the education of countless Malaysian girls, some of whom like former Central Bank Governor, Dr Zeti, have been prominent in public life
Now aged 93, Sr Enda was conferred with an honorary Doctorate in Humanities by Taylor's University in Malaysia in recognition of her untiring devotion to education.
According to The Star newspaper, Sr Enda said it was a “special honour” and “deeply humbling”.
“My concern was not over where our students would end up, how many As they would get, and subsequently how many degrees and accolades they would accumulate. Rather, it was about what they would become and seek to be – to value what one has and not what others have and do, and always emphasising heart over head,” said Sr Enda.
This isn’t the first time the Franciscan nun has appeared in the Limerick Leader.
She met Minister for State Patrick O’Donovan when he was in Malaysia for St Patrick’s Day celebrations and in 2020 when she wore her Limerick jersey signed by neighbour John Kiely with pride ahead of the Christmas All-Ireland final.
Malaysia and Luimneach Abú!