Clodagh Finn: A Mayo nurse’s role in the discovery of penicillin

Thanks to the Kilfian Development Association, we know how crucial Sarah McElroy born in its parish was to her husband Sir Alexander Fleming's research, writes Clodagh Finn

Sarah McIlroy who, thanks to her homeplace, Kilfian, in north Mayo, more people know about.

Mention penicillin and the name Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered it, quickly trips off the tongue. Less well-known is his wife, Sarah McElroy, a nurse from Co Mayo who sold her nursing home in London to support his research.

McElroy said she knew Fleming had genius and wanted him to make the most of it: “Alec is a great man, but nobody knows it,” she said.