Search Results for 'Frances Conboy'

There is a general lack of specific references to dancing in our older literature but it would be remarkable if there was no dancing in ancient Ireland, if a people with a native taste for music had no knowledge of the kindred art of dancing. There are two Irish words for dance, ‘damhsa’ and ‘rince’. The first is derived from the French ‘danse’ and the second from the English ’rink’ as in skating on ice. The Normans are credited with introducing ‘round dances’ to Ireland.

The Sisters of Mercy came to Galway on May 1 1840. They started, in extremely difficult circumstances, in Lombard Street with three postulants. The need for uncloistered sisters who would be free to go about the streets and visit the poor in home, hospital, and jail was very great at the time. They were out and about the day after their arrival. An epidemic of cholera had broken out and they helped to nurse the ill and alleviate distress. They quickly prospered to become “Reputedly the best institution that ever was in Galway”.