Hanna Greally

Greally spent two years training at Guy's Hospital during The Blitz, and suffered with psychological trauma as a result. On learning her mother was ill, she returned home to Ireland and her mother suggested to Hanna that she go to St. Loman's Hospital "for a rest" as her mother could not care for her. This hospital was, and still is to a large extent, known to locals as The Big House. Initially on arrival in c.1943, she was placed in the on-site Admissions building which had only been completed three years prior in c.1940 in a typical layout for tuberculosis treatment and this building was "the closest to the outside world".^[11] Nothing was really done in relation to getting Hanna released from confinement as the person in control told Mary that Hanna should stay for a bit longer.^[12] After a few years had passed and many visits, her mother had died on 31 October 1950 (1950-10-31) in the County Hospital (now known as the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar), County Westmeath due to chronic interstitial nephritis and malignant hypertension, aged 47.^[13] Greally made several escape attempts, and sent pleading letters to her relatives to sign her out but remained incarcerated for 18 years due to legal difficulties at the time. Most ignored her pleas, and wrote about their lives in reply instead. She was subject to electroconvulsive therapy, sedatives, insulin coma, seclusion and confinement. Greally was transported to Coolamber Manor, a new rehabilitation centre in Longford which had just opened, in the late 1950s.^[14] As suggested by her Superintendent, she was placed there along with a few others, and was very excited with the news of moving out of Saint Loman's Hospital.

"One day in the laundry, the Superintendent called me. "Your chance, Hanna, it's come", he said. My heart jumped! What could he mean? He explained in detail, a new rehabilitation centre had been opened, and he had been requested to send two or three of his patients there. I was overjoyed, in fact, I could not believe it. Liberty in view at last, authorised freedom! I said, with random exhilaration, "At last, may I really leave here? My relations cannot stop me? They decant?"^[10] – an extract from Bird's Nest Soup, 1971.

In 1962, Greally was released from the rehabilitation centre after she spent her time there training to be a housekeeper. She went to England following her release, and worked as a housekeeper for a retired doctor and saved up to purchase a cottage called Sunny Acre in the Coolteige–Fourmilehouse area of Roscommon for IR£600, and this is where she resided for the rest of her life. She released a book in 1971, Birds' Nest Soup, detailing her harrowing experiences for herself and others, and this is regarded as the only true account of someone inside an institution during these times. Greally appeared on The Late Late Show, speaking to Gay Byrne about her experiences being incarcerated for so long the same year.^[15]

Greally died in Roscommon University Hospital on 15 August 1987, aged 63 after her general health had fallen following a heart and hand operation.^[16][17][18]