First-ever nun to be lady captain scores two holes-in-one in Callan

This is yet another one of these ‘for the first time’ stories, but it is a very unusual for a ‘first-time’ story.

Sr Ena Kennedy recently became the very first acting nun to captain a golf club in Ireland, when she took on the role of Lady Captain in Callan Golf Club, having previously acted in the role of vice captain to Bernie Lyons.

Callan Golf Club is honoured to have her as their Lady Captain, augmented with the added acclaim of being the ‘first-ever’ nun to have scored not one, but two holes-in-one, and you can bet your life on that one!

Ena Kennedy grew up in the Laois hamlet of Borris-in-Ossory, between Tipperary and Kilkenny. As a young girl, she had thoughts of joining a religious order. Having completed her third-level education in Sion Hill, Blackrock, Dublin, she worked with Premier Dairies in Finglas for a year.

During that year in Finglas, Ena gave serious thought to her burgeoning religious ambitions. In 1968. she joined the Novitiate of the Mercy Sisters in Callan.

She was one of a dozen such young ladies who were blessed with ‘the invitation’ from a greater authority. I asked the Borris-in-Ossory Postulant about life for a very young girl in a Religious Novitiate.

I particularly honed in on confinement, freedoms, social exercises, visitations, life within St Brigid’s, time out to go home. In a very frank conversation, Sr Ena was very much informative, and rational.

“In fairness, I would have to say that when I entered St Brigid’s I knew that I would not see my home for five years,” she says.

“However, after six weeks I had appendicitis, which meant I recuperate in St Brigids, but I was then allowed to visit my family the following Easter which was nice.”

She spoke at length about the other issues of confinement freedoms, and such.

“Confinement was never an issue although we were looking after our studies, working within the confines of the convent, a demand which necessitated my fullest attention and concentration,” she says.

“A while after our profession, Sr Perpetua, who was doing sterling work in Social Services around Kilkenny enticed us to join her ‘little battalion’, and that enhanced our activities still more. She already had Sr May on board, and she too was a wonderful Apostle of Social Service, doing marvellous work beside Sr Perpetua.”

The younger nuns played tennis, badminton, and basketball in facilities within the confines of the convent.

“We got bicycles too, and we had great fun riding them around the highways and byways of the Callan environs.”

An obvious relaxation in liturgical protocol slowly but definitely led to changes — some big and some not so — in the lifestyles of all Religious Orders. Gone were things like the murderous ankle length ‘circus tents’ of habits that certainly guaranteed hives, and heat lumps on sweltering summer days. Gone too was the head dress apparel.

Slowly, nuns particularly were noticeably emboldened into mixing and visiting people in their homes for social reasons. You could meet nuns in restaurants and coffee shops around the county. You could meet them atop the same wave at seaside resorts as you raced ahead of mighty waves on your respective boards.

In 2009, a lay teaching colleague in St Brigid’s College, Mary McEvoy, informed Sr Ena that the Callan Golf Club were giving starters classes to Ladies. Mary invited Sr Ena down to the club – Mary being Lady Captain at the time.

Why golf? I asked.

“I had an interest in sport, more an armchair spectator, as my four brothers all played hurling for Borris which had a hurling CV better than most clubs within Laois,” she says.

“Our nextdoor neighbour, Christy O’Brien was a well-known national hurling star known the length and breath of the hurling world. I had a hankering to play the golf game.

I was quite a good tennis play, so swinging a game’s implement came naturally for me. So the rest is history.”

The Callan club has developed since first you took a driving wood or putter in your hands?

“There is a wonderfully friendly, homely atmosphere in the club,” she says.

“The configuration of the layout of the course is very convivial to young and not so. You feel that the céad mile fáilte is very genuine. There is a wonderful volunteer ethic down there.

“In brief, it is a delightful facility to be part of. The ambiance and tranquillity of the place is remarkable. The membership is ever increasing, in particular in the youth element.

“Jim Aherne is doing a brilliant job with the youngsters, which now number more than 200.”

I asked the nun from Borris-in-Ossory, could she recall an incident with another famous hurler a couple of months ago.

“Ah yes”, she retorted. “Yourself and Fan Larkin asked me to join ye, and I was more than nervous. I remember you saying that Fan had won five All-Irelands with Kilkenny.”

Fan came in fast with ‘Ah Sister, All-Irelands are no good to me here’. We all had a good laugh about it.