Beloved school principal who helped pupils traumatised by the Troubles

Rosaleen MacMahon was principal of St Louise's Comprehensive College in West Belfast, which was for a time the largest girls' school in Europe, with 2,400 students.

During her tenure between 1988 and 2005 she supported the many students and staff who had been bereaved during the Troubles. She was known, loved and respected because of her integrity and compassion, and described in a school report as an able, caring and perceptive principal of an impressive school.

In this role she involved the students in cross-community initiatives which brought together students from different faith backgrounds to work on common projects. For this and her overall contribution to education in West Belfast she was awarded the CBE by Queen Elizabeth.

The current principal of St Louise’s, Mary McHenry, paid the following tribute: “Sr Rosaleen in her everyday words and actions bore witness to the Vincentian values of service, inclusiveness, equality of opportunity, social justice and the common good. She was an outstanding leader who walked with humanity and humility. St Louise’s was blessed to have such a wonderful leader and friend. She will always hold a special place in the school she loved and within the school community, which loved her dearly.”

Prison chaplain

On retiring from St Louise's she became a part-time chaplain at Maghaberry prison – a high-security prison of 800 men. She regarded this role as a privilege and one which brought her great joy. During this time she also established Kairos, a retreat centre in the grounds of St Louise's, in which young people could take time to reflect on their personal hopes and dreams for the future. In her work with young people she was described as warm, creative, imaginative and insightful.

Sr Rosaleen died after a four-year battle with cancer on the January 26th, 2017. She was the daughter of the late Brian and Rose MacMahon of Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, and was the second-youngest of six children. She was educated in Loreto College, Dalkey. On becoming a Daughter of Charity she trained as a teacher and spent 17 years in Ethiopia.

Famine in Ethiopia

To improve her effectiveness as a teacher of religion she learned Amharic and studied in Uganda and Kenya. One of her students became the current cardinal of Addis Ababa, Cardinal Souraphiel. The famine in Ethiopia took a toll on her health and she returned to the UK where she studied and was awarded a PhD in educational change in preparation for the role of principal of St Louise's.

Sr Rosaleen is survived by her sisters Evelyn Smyth and Sr Bernadette MacMahon DC, her brother Fr Hugh MacMahon SSC, her nephews Brian and Rory, Rory's wife Sinead and their daughters Laura and Cathy.