TWO sisters whose father occupies a unique place in medical history have made an emotional return to the Fermanagh townland they will always call home.

Judy Howard and her sister, Cas Boddam-Whetham, were prompted to come back to the County where they spent many times in their childhood after the death of their mother, Olive Burkitt, at the age of 97 last year.

Youngest sister, Rachel, was unable to make the trip.

Their father was Denis Parsons Burkitt, an eminent surgeon from Fermanagh who died in 1993.

While working in Uganda in 1957 Dr. Burkitt began research on tumours and was the first to describe a lethal cancer commonly suffered by African children, which from 1963 was known as ‘Burkitt’s lymphoma’.

Acknowledged as one of the great Irish doctors of the 20th century, he lectured throughout the world, wrote several books and published over 300 papers in scientific journals.

Dr. Burkitt was the eldest son of James Parsons Burkitt, a long-serving County Surveyor for Fermanagh who oversaw many significant improvements in local infrastructure during the first part of the 20th century.

James Parsons Burkitt was also a keen bird-lover and an expert on the Robin. He was given the honour of being a member of the Royal Ornithology Society.

Over the generations, the Burkitt family have had a close connection with the townland of Laragh, in the parish of Trory.

Speaking to the Impartial Reporter, Judy, a Church of England minister who lives in Gloucestershire, said that her late mother Olive had been “very much the keeper of the ancestors”.

“When she died we three daughters spent months clearing up our parents’ home. Our father kept a diary every year of his life from the age of 11 years.

“There are boxes of letters, photographs, slides and papers. Our entire lives are chronicled in albums. Their home was also full of furniture, paintings, family portraits, family china and silver, and many objects that held stories of the ancestors.

“So, steeped in family history through all this sorting and passing on, we felt a need to reconnect with Laragh, the place we came every leave from Uganda, the place we called home, the place that was ‘heaven’ to us.

“Packing up Laragh and driving away in 1961 was one of our greatest bereavements,” she revealed.

Through information on the internet, Judy contacted Trory Parish Church to see whether it might be possible to borrow a key so that they could go inside and see the plaque on the wall in memory of their grandparents.

She said: “We had a reply from the parish secretary who remembered our grandparents, and also us as a family coming back on leave. She wonderfully coordinated a group of parishioners who all remembered our family.

“They welcomed us to Trory church and arranged a programme of visits. We have been overwhelmed with their kindness and generosity.”

During their short visit to Fermanagh, the two sisters made an emotional visit to their childhood home in Laragh, presently the home of Shane and Karina Byrne.

The women also met Belleek historian John Cunningham, who recently published an article on the Burkitt family.

They were also welcomed to Enniskillen library, where a display of Burkitt memorabilia was on show, including photographs and press cuttings of Dr. Burkitt’s work.

Reflecting on her return to the County of her birth, Judy added: “Beside my bed hangs photographs of Laragh House, our parents and our grandparents. All our homes now house things that were in Laragh, that create ‘home’.

“The past isn’t somewhere else; it is deep within us. These roots give us stability and are a reference point for values and meaning.

“We are always grateful for, and more than a bit in love with, Fermanagh, Enniskillen, and Laragh.”