16_Tablet14Aug21 Diary Puzzles Enigma 769 RN revised.qxp_Tablet features spread 10/08/2021 15:49 Page 13 WORD FROM THE CLOISTERS
[email protected] A YEAR AGO this week, we had Mother Sisters to the stars Teresa on the cover, and an article inside by Gëzim Alpion, who has done more than any STROLLING along Bridge Street, Skibbereen, other scholar to reveal the influence of his in west Cork, it would be easy to miss a plaque fellow Albanian’s family and cultural roots on the wall of a beauty salon that marks the on her extraordinary life. Now Dr Alpion, a birthplace of Ellen Mary Clerke in 1840 and sociologist based at the University of her sister, Agnes Mary Clerke, two years later. Birmingham, has received the Mother Teresa Their father was a liberal Protestant who Medallion from the President of Albania, had married a wealthy Catholic, Catherine Ilir Meta. Deasy of the famous Clonakilty brewing family. Under the fabulously repressive regime of The girls mucked around with their father’s Enver Hoxha – brutal even by Eastern telescopes and chemistry experiments and European standards – religious believers of learnt music, Latin and Greek from their all confessions were persecuted. Previous win- mother. At 15, Agnes had started work on a ners of the award include Archbishop popular history of astronomy that was to aston- Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical ish the scientific world. She has a crater on Council for the Family, who was the first priest the moon named after her. Ellen hoovered up Ellen joined the staff of The Tablet in 1886 to enter Albania after the fall of communism languages, translated Italian poetry, published and wrote a leader each week – often on inter- in 1991.