Sister Margaret Coyne, family of Michael D. Higgins, has died

Sister Margaret Coyne, sister of Sabina Higgins, has passed away in the care of the Daughters of Charity in Southport, England.

"Members of her family are sad to announce the passing of Sister Margaret Coyne but proud of the legacy she achieved in life for the benefit particularly of women in Tigray and Ethiopia," reads a statement on Michael D. Higgins Instagram.

Coyne was born and raised in Cloonrane, Galway. Here, she trained as a nurse and graduated at the top of her class, receiving a gold medal.

She trained in midwifery in Cork, then Scotland, before working as a nurse in London, where she took vows to enter the Daughters of Charity in Mill Hill.

In 1984, Coyne volunteered and travelled alone to Tigray, Ethiopia, to work as a polio nurse. She stayed for 23 years, during times of famine, war and conflict.

She aided those who were dying and sick from starvation and disease, including trachoma, an eye disease caused by poverty, poor hygiene and dry dust.

In the height of the civil war, Coyne made a Swiss eye surgeon train her in eye surgery, before the surgeon was forced to flee due to dangerous conditions.

Coyne helped establish St. Louise's Ophthalmological Clinic and helped saved the sight of many Tigray citizens. The clinic also provided services to women, many of whom were victims of sexual abuse.

A group of Spanish ophthalmologists were inspired by Coyne's work and created the international programme, Proyecto Visión, which helped bring medical teams to Tigray, expand eye treatment and train local medical staff.

She returned to London to work as a nurse, before retiring to Southport, where she lived with sisters from her order.

Sister Margaret Coyne will be laid to rest at the Daughters of Charity, Mill Hill, London, on Wednesday September 3.

Her nephew, filmmaker John Higgins, created a radio documentary about Coyne's life and achievements.

Listen to the radio documentary here.