Ellen McKenna was born at Aghaninimy, near Monaghan. She emigrated to the United States of America after the Great Famine, and taught in a school in New York, before she entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1855. She was a committed social worker, particularly during the American Civil War. She published many poems and articles anonymously. She died in Balmville.

Born:	1819
Died:	1883