Roe Valley Ancestral Researchers honour courageous women from Londonderry with new book
The book, We Count Too!, celebrates the heroic contributions of women from the Roe Valley who served during World War One, paving the way for future generations of nurses and public servants.
AN OBE, an MM, an MBE – all honours achieved by courageous women in the area between Ballykelly, Limavady, Aghadowey and Ballycastle during World War 1.
Their names were Dr Louise McIlroy, Sister Molly McGinnis, Mrs Catherine Anne Swetenham Trench McManaway, Nurse Anne Kelly Shirley and three of them are featured in RVAR’s first publication in 2019 called We Count Too! – along with other VADs and brave nurses.
The title says it all – this book was a celebration of “Forgotten nurses, VADs & other women who served during World War One”, born locally but served heroically across both Europe and Texas (USA).
This paved the road for career nurses – it was a heroic beginning – this movement of women into public service.
It was with pleasure that the newly formed literary group called ‘Ceres Creative Circle’ welcomed Mrs Alison Millar, Lord-Lieutenant of Co Londonderry to Ceres Co-operative in Main Street Limavady on the afternoon of Tuesday 3 November 2026 to receive her free copy of We Count Too! from RVAR members.
Also receiving a copy of the book was Robert Hedley (President Limavady Probus Club) accompanied by Bill Mulligan and Matthew Ferguson (Probus members).
The Lord-Lieutenant had let it be known to Researcher Matthew that Nurse A K Shirley was on the Aghadowey Memorial and that she was very interested in knowing more about this Nurse’s manner of death.
Matthew was able to tell her that this volunteer Nurse, born Aghadowey, volunteered most likely as a Nurse or a VAD (Volunteer Aid Detachment) and it was at Fort Sam Houston Base Hospital in Texas where she caught the Spanish Flu which decimated that medical establishment in 1918-19 and she died of pneumonia on 19 November 1919.
She is the only female on that Memorial.
The Appendix to the WW1 book lists 196 names of VADs from Co Londonderry that were available for research when the book was being compiled in 2016- 2018 by RVAR members.
The intention is to update and expand the list as much as possible and make it available on the website www.valleyresearch.com.
Members of the public are invited to submit names to this list, which will be verified by RVAR historians.
The group had met the morning before to plan for a second edition of the book called Voices of the Roe Valley (Heritage & Belonging), launched on 18 January 2026 – the 10th anniversary of Roe Valley Ancestral Researchers.
It was agreed that a free copy of the We Count Too! book could be given free to any member of the public who was donating in the premises to the British Legion Poppy Appeal.
The new 2nd edition will be called Voices of the Roe Valley (Echoes of the Past) and should be ready for publication early 2027.
The ‘Echoes’ will come from stories submitted from RVAR members (and friends) across the world from Canada, California and New Zealand and other places in between.
If you have a story, a poem, an article, a happening, a picture, a creative work – then this the place to present it for posterity.
If the story is there, we will help you find it.
Come see Mary McMahon on the first Monday of each month at 42-44 Main Street Limavady, 11am to 1pm. Tea & coffee available.