Ambassador and nun share their Roscommon ties in Brazil
Roscommon ambassador Martin Gallagher and Sr. Margaret Hosty.
Lisacul native and Ireland’s ambassador to Brazil, Martin Gallagher, had a recent opportunity in the South American country to meet a fellow Rossie, Sr Margaret Hosty who has been a missionary there for forty years.
In a message on social media, Mr Gallagher said he was “proud and honoured” to meet Sr. Margaret in Goiânia. He explained that the nun has been supporting people living with HIV and AIDS for 30 years, with support from Irish Aid.
“A truly inspirational and joyous afternoon with Margaret and service users,” he said.
A native of Cloonfad, Sr Margaret has spent the past 40 years living and working in Brazil. She has dedicated her life to helping those living with HIV/AIDS through an organisation called AAVE Group, which she co-founded in the Brazilian city of Goiânia in 1995.
Growing up in a family of 12 on a farm in Cloonfad, Sr Margaret left home in 1967 to enter novitiate life in California with the Sisters of Saint Louis. She later graduated from California State University Fullerton and began working as a teacher before moving to Brazil in 1985.
Separately, Ambassador Gallagher has over two decades of experience working in foreign affairs for the UN and within the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He is a former student of St. Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen.
