1. Margaret Tierney

She opens her hand to the poor prov. 31:20

“A big influence in his home at Westcourt was Edmund’s mother, Margaret Tierney…here you would get heat by the fire, a bite to eat, and shelter from wind and rain. Her half door was an open door; her hospitality never half-hearted.”

His mother’s kindly caring is not lost on Edmund. Edmund cares not only for school children, he cares for their parents too. He cherishes the sick and comforts those in prison.

Here is a scene depicting a traditional Irish event, the family Rosary. It was part of the daily routine in the Rice home, and in the panel, the woman leading the prayers represents Margaret Rice, Edmund’s mother. The curving, rhythmic shapes around the group betoken the mantra-like manner in which the Rosary was recited or intoned, and the all-pervasive, ever-present Divinity spiral moves through the family circle. The imagery has a message for a generation that has let the tradition of the family Rosary die out.