Anne Sargent (Sr Magdalen) was brought up in her mother’s Anglican faith. Her mother died when Anne was a young child and a teenager she converted to Catholicism, perhaps because of the influence of her Catholic father and stepmother. Aged 16 she decided she wanted to join the Presentation Order and she entered Waterford Convent as a postulant in 1807, but when it came time for her final profession her father, for some unknown reason, failed to pay her dowry and she had to leave the convent. Undeterred by this setback she pursued her calling and joined the convent in Cork. Unfortunately, a similar situation occurred with her dowry, causing her to face yet another disappointment. However, her determination remained unwavering, and she made a third attempt, this time in Clonmel. To her surprise, an unknown benefactor stepped forward and paid her dowry, allowing her to continue her journey. 

As Sr Magdalen she took on the responsibility of designing and constructing the new convent. The annals recall her tireless efforts, as she continuously drew and rejected plans until she felt fully satisfied with the final design. No architect was involved in the construction process, and Sr Magdalen served as the main point of reference for all the tradesmen involved, including Mrs Savage, who had the contract for all the painting and glazing work . 

In 1836 Sr Magdalen left Clonmel and became one of the founders of the Presentation Convent in Manchester. The convent built on Livesay Street, Manchester is a replica of the convent Sr Magdalen designed for Clonmel. 

Dr Michael Blake, Bishop of Dromore had studied at the Irish College in Rome until it was closed in 1798 by order of Napoleon during the French occupation. He returned Rome to reopen the Irish College in 1826 and he sent an oil painting of the Holy Family to the convent in Clonmel, which still hangs in the convent chapel.