Presentation Sisters
Nano Nagle

Born Ballygriffin, County Cork, Ireland 1718.
Died April 26th., 1784.

The painting above is from an original by James Barry(1741-1806) probably painted in 1770 when Nano visited her brother in Bath.

The painting was bequeathed to the Presentation Sisters by James Nagle Healy who died in 1993. It had been treasured in his family since it was handed down to his grandfather.

Nano Nagle, or as she was called by Irish people Honora Nagle, was the foundress of the Presentation Sisters. and pioneer of Catholic education in Ireland. She was born at Ballygriffin County Cork, Ireland, in the year 1718, the eldest of her family, which consisted of two brothers and four sisters. Because of the Penal Laws against Catholics, she was educated first at a local hedge school, and later, at the age of ten, in France. Education in Ireland was denied unless she agreed to conform to the New Established Church. Upon completing her education, Nano resided in Paris and enjoyed a leisurely social life with her sister, Anne, among that privileged set of Irish émigrés associated with the Stuart cause. Nano's life in Paris, where the Nagles had many important social connections, was a gay St. Jame's without a great deal of heed to the plight of the less well off of her country people, but her conscience is said to have been awakened by the sight of the poor people of Paris, waiting in the chill of the morning for Mass, while she was returning from an elegant ball.

On her return from France she lived in Dublin for a while with her mother, but the deaths, in quick succession, of her father in 1746, mother and her beloved sister, Anne,caused her to return to her home at Ballygriffin. One day an incident occurred which had a powerful effect on Nano.She was looking for a length of silk material, which she had bought in Paris, in order to have a splendid dress made up. Ann confessed she had disposed of it to help a poor family in distress. Nano realised the depth of divine charity mirrored in Ann. Nano later said to her sisters in religion that "it was this trifling circumstance which fired her determination to devote the remainder of her life to God in the service of the poor".and led to her decision to enter a French Convent where she was gradually persuaded that her life would be more usefully employed among her own people, and in her own country, where the light of education was barred to those of her religion under the appalling laws.A Jesuit priest told her that it was her duty to return to her native land to instruct Irish children. She wrote later :"Nothing would have made me come home but the decision of the clergyman that I should run a great risk of salvation if I did not follow the inspiration". She returned from the French Convent in1749. She was 31 years of age, and while we do not know the exact date on which she founded her first school, it was about this time, in a mud cabin in Cove Lane, County Cork. These proceedings had to be kept secret even from her own family as she risked danger and even death for being outside the law. She proceeded slowly with a few children at first, and soon instead of one school she had several.

By this time Nano felt she needed help from outside, and in 1767, Francis Moylan who had been ordained in Toulouse, began his approaches, on her behalf, to the Ursulines of Paris, but being aware of the dangers attendant upon Catholic Education in Ireland they did not respond. After further approaches, however, they did agree to receive postulants, and in 1771 four girls returned to Cork after training. Nano had anticipated their arrival and had commenced the building of a convent. This was soon completed but Nano's disappointment was acute when it was made clear that the Ursuline order was a confined one, and the nuns would not be able to leave the convent to attend her seven schools. Moreover, as time went by, it became clear that the nuns were more interested in education for the middle classes, rather than for the poor, while the latter was Nano's burning desire. She expanded her cottage into another building from where she and her followers could continue her work, and at the end of 1777 she and her companions were confirmed in their religious profession. Nano at this time did not have long to live. She continued on her daily rounds from school to school, undertook visits to the sick and aged, and had even established a home for the elderly poor. She was never without money problems, yet her tiny figure continued to tramp the lanes of Cork. In those dark lanes she would later become known as 'The Lady of the Lantern'. On Christmas Eve in 1775, Nano founded what was to become The Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation, the name origionally was "Sisters of the Charitable Instruction of The Sacred Heart of Jesus," by inviting Miss Mary Fouhy, Miss Elizebeth Bourke, and Miss Mary Ann Collins to join her in her apostolate to the poor.Their names were now changed to Saints' names, and Nano was known as Sister Saint John of God. In 1791, at their own request the sisters were given a new title,"Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary."(PBVM) At first they all lived in Nano's little cottage, but Nano soon set about providing a convent for them. Their new home was given a symbolic blessing on Christmas Day 1777 when fifty beggars were invited to dinner. Nano and her Sisters served them. Her decision to start a religious order was timely, writing to a friend she said: "What made me defer all this time was finding myself so improper a person to undertake it. The Almighty makes use of the weakest means to bring about his works". Nano Nagle, worn out by her labors for the Irish people, was on April 21st. 1784, seized with a severe haemorrhage, and died at about midday on Monday, April 26th. 1784.  Nano was 65 years of age.

The Sisters of The Presentation went on to found many convents in Ireland. In 1833 a group of sisters left their convent in Galway to make the first foundation in the New World at St. John's, New foundland. The first foundation in the United States was made in San Franscisco in 1854. Now there is a widespread distribution of Presentation Convents, not only in Ireland, the United States and throughout the world, but most importantly at Kodaikanal in South India.

Pupils of the Presentation Convent Kodaikanal, may remember this painting of Nano, which hangs to this day in the piano room, first room to the left of the main entrance in the main school building.







Some interesting links to Nano Nagle and her home at Ballygriffin

http://www.gnofn.org/~presis/page3.html
http://www.mallow.ie/tourist/n-n.html
http://www.iol.ie/~pressecw/nanona~1.htm
http://www.k12.nf.ca/stpatrickjh/nano.html
http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlmahs/mfcj04.htm
http://www.rootsweb.com/~irlmahs/mfcj06.htm

My thanks to Sister Pamela Mc Sweeney, PBVM, for her help with this page. (J.W.M.)