Maureen Flavin Sweeney

Maureen Flavin Sweeney (3 June 1923 – 17 December 2023) was an Irish postmistress. She grew up in County Kerry but moved to Blacksod, County Mayo, at the age of 18 to take up a position at a post office. One of Flavin Sweeney's duties was to make weather observations that were reported to Allied forces during the Second World War. Blacksod's position on the west coast made it one of the first stations to report westerly storms.

On 3 June 1944, her 21st birthday, Flavin Sweeney made the first observation of a coming storm that threatened Allied vessels in the English Channel. Following her observation, the U.S. commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, agreed to postpone the invasion of France by 24 hours, from 5 June to 6 June. After the war, Flavin Sweeney took over the post office, running it until her retirement in the 2000s. She received recognition for her wartime role from the U.S. Congress in 2021.

Early life

Maureen Flavin was born in Knockanure, in County Kerry, on 3 June 1923, her birth was registered as Mary Christine. She passed her secondary school examinations and, on reaching the age of 18, found herself looking for employment. Flavin Sweeney had no family in County Kerry and had dreamed of moving to America. However, her nearest relative, an uncle, ran a pub at Blacksod, County Mayo, on the western coast. He offered her accommodation. She travelled for two days to reach Blacksod to answer an advertisement offering a position as a clerk at the Department of Posts and Telegraphs local post office.

After being accepted for the post by postmistress Margaret Sweeney, she discovered that the post office also operated a weather station, important for forecasting as it lay on one of the most westerly parts of Ireland. Under an August 1939 agreement, the station was one of a number in Ireland that provided daily weather readings to the British Met Office via telegraph. Measurements were taken from instruments housed on a corner of the nearby lighthouse.

Second World War

After the outbreak of the Second World War, the station, important as one of the first to warn of approaching westerly weather systems, was asked to make hourly weather reports. The Allied forces planned Operation Overlord, an invasion of German-occupied France, for June 1944. In the approach to this the Blacksod weather station was asked to make more detailed measurements.

On 3 June 1944, her 21st birthday, Flavin Sweeney got up at 1am Double British Summer Time, to make the hourly reading. The station instruments showed a slight drop in air pressure, a wind from the south-west and a slight drizzle. The drop in pressure was the first indication of an incoming severe storm that could make hazardous conditions for any crossing of the English Channel. Flavin Sweeney woke Ted Sweeney, the postmistress' son, to confirm the readings as he was more experienced with the instruments (Margaret and her daughter Frances also made readings at other times during the war). Ted Sweeney confirmed Flavin Sweeney's readings and the report was sent on to Britain. Measurements made over the following reports from 2am to 7am showed a continuing drop in pressure, with a steady wind and worsening rain. These conditions were confirmed by nearby stations.

Royal Air Force officer James Stagg was the chief meteorologist to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). At around 11am Stagg had his office call the Blacksod post office direct to confirm their readings, bypassing the usual liaison office at Dublin. As a result of the weather reports Eisenhower agreed to a postponement of the invasion by 24 hours, from 5 to 6 June, potentially saving lives from stormy waters.

Later life

Flavin Sweeney went on to marry Ted Sweeney in 1946. They continued to operate the weather station at Blacksod until it was automated in 1956. It was at this point that the pair was first made aware of the important role their weather reports had on the planning of Operation Overlord. Flavin Sweeney succeeded her mother-in-law as postmistress at Blacksod and retired in the early 2000s. Her son, Vincent Sweeney, is now the lighthouse keeper at Blacksod.

By May 2020 she was at the Tí Aire nursing home in Belmullet, County Mayo, when she survived a COVID-19 infection.

In June 2021, Flavin Sweeney was honoured by the United States Congress for her role in the Second World War. Her name was entered into the ''Congressional Record'' and she received a medal from the House of Representatives. U.S. Congressman and former U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant-General Jack Bergman said "her skill and professionalism were crucial in ensuring Allied victory, and her legacy will live on for generations to come". Flavin Sweeney also received a certificate from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

On the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2023, Flavin Sweeney received cards from Bergman and Irish President Michael D. Higgins. She died age 100 at Tí Aire nursing home on 17 December 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flavin Sweeney, Maureen
1923 births
2023 deaths
20th-century Irish women
21st-century Irish women
Irish women centenarians
Irish postmasters
People from County Kerry
Women in World War II