Many people will be familiar with the work of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement and its impact on countless lives around the world since it was founded in 1935.  

But what people may not know is one of its earliest champions, and an integral figure in the development of the A.A. movement, was a Mayo-born nun called Sr Ignatia Gavin, CSA.

The National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park is hosting a talk about the life and legacy of Sr Ignatia Gavin, CSA, at 3pm on Friday, 26 June 2026.

The event is organised by the Sisters of Charity St. Augustine and their health ministry of the Sister Ignatia Gavin, CSA Center for Addiction Medicine that will be opening this fall in Cleveland, Ohio. 

A delegation from Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio will be visiting Co. Mayo in June and holding a number of events to commemorate 175 years of compassionate service in the United States. It is also the 60th anniversary of Sr Ignatia's passing and celebrating the Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach’s award winner; Diaspora Outstanding Achievement 2025 that was bestowed posthumously to Sister Ignatia Gavin, CSA.

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. Over the next number of years, she worked alongside Alcoholics Anonymous founders Dr Bob and Bill W. to develop and share the now famous 12-step programme for addiction recovery.

Sr Ignatia was born Bridget Della Mary Gavin in Shanvalley in Co. Mayo in 1889. She immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, with her family in 1896 and joined the Sisters of Charity St Augustine when she was 25 years old. 

She would later become known as the 'Angel of Alcoholics Anonymous'. Between 1952 and 1965, Sr Ignatia treated more than 15,000 patients and supported 60,000 family members at the centre she founded called Rosary Hall Solarium in Cleveland, Ohio. 

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy penned a personal letter to Sr Ignatia in recognition of her service. 
  
The first speaker at the event in Turlough Park is Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity St. Augustine, Cleveland, Ohio. Sr Karam is the former Class A Board Member for Alcoholics Anonymous USA and Canada. 
 
Also speaking on the afternoon will be Dr. Theodore Parran, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and Co-Director of Rosary Hall in Cleveland, Ohio. 

This is a free talk organised by the Sisters of Charity St Augustine to celebrate the life and contribution of Sr Ignatia Gavin. It takes place at 3pm on Friday, 26 June 2026.

It is hosted by the National Museum of Ireland - Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Book Now