Maura Lynch

Sr. Dr. Maura Lynch (10 September 1938 – 9 December 2017) was an Irish doctor, a nun, and proponent of women's health.

Early life and education Lynch was born in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland to Patrick and Jane Lynch on 10 September 1938. She was one of nine children, three girls and six boys. Her father worked for the Post Office and moved the family with him around the country. Her mother was a teacher. The family spoke Irish at home. Lynch entered the convent of the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM) just before her 18th birthday in Clonmel, County Tipperary in 1956. She completed her education in the medical school at University College, Dublin to become a doctor. Lynch graduated in the top three of her class. She went on to get a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London in 1966. Once her training was complete she was sent to Angola in 1967 after a period in Lisbon, Portugal, to learn Portuguese. She studied in the Lisbon School of Tropical Medicine where she gained her Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Public Health.

Career

In Angola, then known as Portuguese West Africa, Lynch worked as the medical director of the hospital at Chiulo. Lynch remained in the country during the Angolan War of Independence and the 1975 Angolan Civil War. The hospital became a focal point for war wounded.