My name is Doreen Figueiredo. As you will gather from the name, I am not Irish by birth, nonetheless I feel very Irish, because for about one third of my life I have been in Ireland.

My parents came to Kenya from India, and I grew up in Nairobi. Having qualified as a teacher I worked with Irish Sisters of Mercy, and decided that their apostolate to the poor was what I was most interested in sharing. I came to Ireland for my religious formation, and further professional studies, and then returned to Kenya . When my work in school ended I qualified as a chaplain, and worked with teenagers in Dublin. In the intervening time my family went to live in Canada, and my dad who had reached one hundred years of age needed my help. Thankfully I had a long and fruitful time as a carer, and when he passed peacefully away I returned to Ireland. Having given the future some thought I felt drawn to Glendalough, and so for a part of each month I come to this beautiful and sacred place. I feel privileged to be part of a tradition which stretches back to St. Kevin and the holy people that over the years have made this place truly holy ground!