Nan O’Toole of the Claddagh

Nan (Anne) O’Toole of the Claddagh, Galway city was an Irish fishmonger and herbalist born in 1877:

For infants suffering with bowel problems Nan prescribed holy water mixed with burnt turf dust, which was then fed to the child. Babies born prematurely were hung in a fishing net over a basin of hot warm water, as this was said to replicate the womb, providing the greatest comfort to the child. She was also renowned for her cure for eye infections, which involved Nan licking the eye.

Photo is from 1913.