Mary Thorpe

Mary Thorpe was born and raised in Wolfetone Square, West Bray, in County Wicklow, Ireland. She was the middle of five children of Patrick and Lolly Kavanagh (nee O'Rourke). She attended St. Patrick's National School, where she gained a certificate of education at fourteen years of age. She worked in a lot of factory jobs until she met and married Ian Thorpe in England and they had five children. When Mary was forty-one years old, she made the decision to return to education and undertook a...See more

Mary Thorpe was born and raised in Wolfetone Square, West Bray, in County Wicklow, Ireland. She was the middle of five children of Patrick and Lolly Kavanagh (nee O'Rourke). She attended St. Patrick's National School, where she gained a certificate of education at fourteen years of age. She worked in a lot of factory jobs until she met and married Ian Thorpe in England and they had five children. When Mary was forty-one years old, she made the decision to return to education and undertook a course of study in Langley College in Berkshire. Having then gained the relevant qualification to gain entry into university, she applied for and was accepted onto a university course of social sciences, which included social work and higher education. On completion of the university course, Mary was appointed to many social work posts. When her husband and mother died in 1997, she moved north to Preston to be near her daughter. Mary retired in October 2010, and now lives in Preston in Lancashire. See less