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MARIE ELIZABETH HAYES Marie, known as May to her family, was a pupil of Alexandra College and then decided to study for a medical degree. As Trinity College did not accept women students, she studied at the Catholic University School of Medicine, attached to the Royal University of Ireland, which later became the National University of Ireland. She was a resident student for some months in the Coombe Hospital, Dublin and spent six months in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, which was the only hospital that admitted women as residents. Marie was conferred with the MB BCh BAO degrees on 12 May 1904 and of the five women conferred, she was the only one who obtained an Upper Pass. She qualified in surgery, pathology and obstetrics. After graduation, Marie served some months as a locum in the Belfast Infirmary. In preparation for work in India, she attended the School of Tropical Medicine in London and also undertook special missionary training and the study of the Urdu language. In 1905 Marie went to work for the Cambridge Mission to Delhi in India. St. Stephen's Hospital, the first hospital for woman and children in Delhi was opened in 1885 by a group of missionary women and in 1891 Dr. Jenny Muller became the first full time doctor to the hospital. When Marie came to India, besides St. Stephen's Hospital in Delhi, the mission had another two hospitals; one, 70 miles to the north in Karnal and another, about 50 miles to the south in Rewari. Initially Marie worked mainly in Delhi and Karnal but later was given sole control of the hospital in Rewari. The Delhi hospital grew and in December 1906 the foundation stone was laid for the new St. Stephen's Hospital at its present site at Tis Hazari, in Old Delhi. On New Year's Eve 1907 Marie travelled from Rewari to Delhi for a special celebration at St. Stephen's Community. Unexpectedly the following day, she became ill with pneumonia and died shortly afterwards on 4 January 1908, aged only 33 years. Her funeral service was held early the following morning in St. Stephen's Church, followed by burial in the Indian Christian Cemetery. The news of her death was sent immediately by telegram to her parents in Raheny. Her memorial service was held in All Saints' Church, Raheny, on 6 January 1908, the Feast of the Epiphany. It was conducted by a friend of her father, Rev. Precentor Hogan, and her cousin, Rev. Arthur Barton. The theme of the service was the 'Vision of God', Her eyes uplifted to the guiding Star That led her Eastward. Marie Hayes left a deep impression, particularly on her patients and colleagues in India, as well as her many friends and relatives in Dublin. Immediately after her death a Memorial Fund was set up in Dublin, chaired by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, with many prominent Dublin people listed on the General Committee. Contributions to the fund came from friends and colleagues in Dublin, England and India. It was decided that the fund would be used for building a ward in the new St. Stephen's Hospital in Delhi to be named 'The Marie Hayes Ward'. In the hospital chapel a small memorial brass was also erected and a prayer-desk in the chapel bears an inscription in Urdu character, which translates as follows:
The memorial in her home village took the form of a Celtic Cross and a pump erected on a rockery at the junction of Main Street and Watermill Road. Over the years it became the focal point for villagers to meet and chat. A few months after Marie's death, her parents travelled to India to visit all the places where she had worked. Her mother, Annabella Hayes kept all Marie's letters and after her death, she edited them and had them published. In the introduction to the book, Marie was described by the Rev. S. S. Allnuth, Head of the Cambridge Delhi Mission, as 'one of the choicest spirits with whom it has been my privilege to be associated during my 28 years of services'. Dr. Jenny Muller, first medical director of St. Stephen's Hospital, described Marie as 'an especially good surgeon; but keen as she was about her profession, the special work she was out here to do for the Lord and Master ever held a prominent place in her words and actions.' The Marie Hayes Cross in Raheny was moved, due to road widening, in 1969 initially to the grounds of All Saints' Church, and then to the grassy area at the junction of Howth Road and Watermill Road. It was finally relocated in 2000 on a new plinth at the paved area beside St. Assam's Church and graveyard in the centre of the village. The inscription on the front of the Cross reads: Doctor and Missionary, Heal the sick Say unto them The Kingdom of God is Come unto You. The text above is taken from the booklet, Raheny Footprints, about people who lived in, or left their mark on, Raheny. It is published by the Raheny Heritage Society in conjunction with Original Writing and is available locally or in most good bookshops, or, in extremis, from Amazon. |