Mayo-born nun who helped shape Alcoholics Anonymous to be honoured at Turlough Park
Talk at the National Museum of Ireland will celebrate the remarkable legacy of Sr Ignatia Gavin, known as the ‘Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous’
The inspirational story of a Mayo-born nun who played a pivotal role in the development of the global Alcoholics Anonymous movement will be celebrated at a special event in Turlough Park later this month.
The National Museum of Ireland in Castlebar will host a free public talk on June 26 exploring the life and legacy of Sr Ignatia Gavin, a pioneering figure in addiction treatment and one of the earliest champions of Alcoholics Anonymous in the United States.
Born Bridget Della Mary Gavin in Shanvalley, Co. Mayo, in 1889, Sr Ignatia emigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, with her family in 1896 before joining the Sisters of Charity of St Augustine at the age of 25. She would go on to become a key figure in the treatment of alcoholism and is widely credited with helping to establish the foundations of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement alongside founders Dr Bob Smith and Bill Wilson.
Known affectionately as the “Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous”, Sr Ignatia was involved in the world’s first documented case of treating alcoholism as a medical condition in a hospital setting at St Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, in 1935. She later helped develop and promote the now world-famous 12-step recovery programme.
Between 1952 and 1965, she treated more than 15,000 patients and supported an estimated 60,000 family members through the Rosary Hall Solarium addiction treatment centre she founded in Cleveland.
The event is being organised by the Sisters of Charity of St Augustine and their health ministry, the Sister Ignatia Gavin Center for Addiction Medicine, which is due to open in Cleveland later this year.
Sister Judith Ann Karam, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity of St Augustine, said the visit by a delegation from Cleveland to Mayo will commemorate 175 years of compassionate service by the congregation in the United States.
“This year is also significant in that it marks the 60th anniversary of Sr Ignatia’s passing,” she said. “During the visit, we will celebrate the Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach’s Award for Diaspora Outstanding Achievement 2025 that was bestowed posthumously on Sister Ignatia Gavin. Sr Ignatia was a remarkable person and it will be wonderful to see her legacy remembered and celebrated through these events in her native County Mayo.”
The afternoon event will feature presentations from Sister Judith Ann Karam, a former Class A Board Member of Alcoholics Anonymous USA and Canada, and Dr Theodore Parran, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and Co-Director of Rosary Hall in Cleveland.
Sr Ignatia’s extraordinary contribution to addiction recovery was also recognised at the highest levels in the United States, with former President John F. Kennedy writing a personal letter to her in 1961 in recognition of her work.
The free talk will take place at 3pm on Friday, June 26, in the Audio Visual Theatre at the museum. While admission is free, advance booking is recommended through the museum’s website.
Organisers say the event offers a unique opportunity for Mayo people to learn more about one of the county’s most influential yet often overlooked figures, whose work has impacted millions of lives worldwide through the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous.