Chapter 1
Nano Nagle – A Little Girl
Written by Anne McCormick, PBVM
Our story begins in 1718 at Ballygriffin, County Cork, Ireland (Show map of Ireland)
During this time the English were oppressing the Irish people. Oppressing means putting them down. Has
anyone ever made you feel like you weren’t a good person, like you were not worth anything, that they
were the “boss” of you? That’s what oppression means. The Irish people were not allowed to go to
school, to learn.
Everyone loves babies so there was a lot of excitement when Baby Honora was born. The Nagle family
thought Honora was a pretty big name for a baby so from the beginning she was called Nano. Isn’t that a
cute name? Nano was the oldest of seven children. She was loved by both parents especially her father,
Garret Nagle. Her mother loved her too but she often worried about her because she was so high-spirited.
Ah, that mean’s she had a lot of energy and sometimes she would get into trouble. By the time she was 10
years old she was full of fun and full of mischief! (Do you know anyone like that?) Here are a couple of
stories about Nano when she was about your age.
Lots of kids like to climb trees. One day Nano climbed a really tall one and called her brother David and
sister Mary to do the same. Now remember in those days girls wore dresses and hats so Nano wasn’t
wearing shorts or blue jeans or sneakers like you would. Just then her mother came out and told her to
get down. But instead of climbing down she jumped! (Ouch!!) Her brother and sister were afraid she was
hurt but her mother knew better and told her father about this latest behavior.
Next, I would like to tell you how Nano went to school. The English people didn’t want the Irish children to
learn so it was against the law to go to school. So Nano and other children her age were taught in a Hedge
School. A hedge is a lot of bushes like you would have in your yard. The children were taught there not in
a classroom like you have here. One of the children would watch and tell them if English Soldiers were
coming. Now for the fun story.
Well, one day Nano and her brothers and sisters wanted to go out in a boat. Their mother said they could
if they had their lessons ready. Well, Nano didn’t, but promised to be back in time to do them. A river
called the Blackwater was by their land so the children ran and got in the boat. Soon they saw the teacher
coming and Nano remembered her lessons weren’t done. Guess what she did! She jumped in the river
and swam to shore. A pony was there so Nano got on the pony planning to race across the field so the
wind would dry her clothes. Guess what happened next. The pony stopped for a drink and Nano fell in the
river. (What do you think her mother said when she walked into the house, her pretty dress and hat
dripping all over the floor?) You’re right – her mother was very angry and sent her to bed. As Nano went
up the stairs, crying of course, she said, “I really try to be good, honest, I do! So you see Nano was a little
child, just like you, sometimes good and sometimes not so good.
Now I would like to tell you the story again of Nano Nagle as a little girl. Who would like to act out the
story as I tell it?
Chapter 2
Nano Nagle – A Young Lady
Written by Anne McCormick, PBVM
In the first chapter we met Nano as a high-spirited little girl. Now we will meet her as a high-spirited
young lady.
Nano’s life was changed a lot at the age of 13. She was getting too old to go to hedge schools any more.
So she was sent to France to live with her cousins and go to school there. (Let’s look at a map and see
how far away from home she would go.) Do you think she got homesick? Imagine how excited you would
be over taking such a long trip. The bad part of it was that Nano couldn’t tell any of her friends why she
was going to France. (Remember it was against the English law for the Irish to be educated.)
Nano’s cousins were very good to her and made her feel right at home. They took her to the school she
would be going to and she met her first nun (sister). As much as she liked the sisters she was unhappy to
hear the rules she would have to follow, like a very small playground when she was used to playing in a
big field, sleeping in a big room called a dormitory with many other girls and only one window to look out
of. But she knew the hardest rule for her would be the rule of silence – the girls were not allowed to talk
in the dormitory. You know how much Nano loved to talk and run and play when she was home in
Ireland. Those days were over.
As Nano grew up the news of how her Irish people were being treated made her very sad. But she wasn’t
sad for long once the cousins started taking her to parties and dances. By this time her sister Ann had
joined her in France and together they were having a lot of fun.
Ann was the first of the two girls to start to realize that there were more important things than parties,
dances and fancy dresses. She wanted to return to their home in Ireland and teach the children. The
government wanted the children to learn English and be taught a different religion than Catholic. At first
Nano couldn’t see that this was possible. Besides that she didn’t want to leave France with its parties and
dances. She was having too much fun.
This all changed early one morning after being at a dance that lasted most of the night. On the way home
Nano saw a group of very poor people standing outside in the cold waiting for the church to open so they
could go to Mass. When Nano saw them shivering in the cold and knew she would be going to a warm
home she realized how selfish she was. The poor loved their Catholic faith and going to Mass while she
loved only pleasure and going to parties.
When their father died in 1746, Nano and Ann returned to Ireland. There is a story told that Ann once
sold a beautiful piece of silk so she could buy food and clothes for a poor family. Nano planned on having
another beautiful dress made from that silk. But instead of being mad at Ann for doing that, Nano finally
realized that helping the poor was more important than pretty dresses. So it was Ann that got Nano
started helping the poor people of Ireland.
Ann died soon after that and Nano returned to her home in Ballygriffin. Then she knew that God was
calling her to teach. Because she couldn’t do this in Ireland she went back to France to be a Sister. She
would be able to teach in that country. But she couldn’t forget the children in Ireland so once again she
went home.
The word got around Cork that Miss Nagle would teach the children about God, Jesus and Mary. I remind
you now that doing this was against the law so Nano could have been sent to jail for the good work she
was doing.
So now you have met Nano as a young lady on her way to becoming a brave woman.
Chapter 3
Nano Nagle - A Brave Woman
Written by Anne McCormick, PBVM
Nano opened her first school in Cork, Ireland in 1754. She was living with her brother Joseph and his wife,
Frances. She taught in a small cabin for seven months before her brother found out what she was doing.
He was very angry at her because of the danger it put all of the family in. Remember, this chapter is
called “A Brave Woman” and that’s what Nano was. Ten years later she had seven schools in Cork City
and also had started two schools for boys. Nano taught religion and a friend, Alice Collins taught reading,
writing and sewing.
At night Nano would go through the alleys in Cork where the very poor lived. Many of these were older
people who had no one to care for them. Nano would bring them food and medicine and take care of
them. That was how she got the name, “The Lady of the Lantern.” She always carried a lantern to help
her find her way in the dark alleys of Cork.
Because she needed money for her schools she had to start begging. A new name was given to her –
“God’s Beggar.” She was proud of that name because it told people she was working for God.
In 1775 Nano Nagle started a group of Sisters. 3 other women were part of this group. At first the group
had the name “The Society for Charitable Instruction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” That’s a pretty long
name, don’t you think? Later the name was changed to the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
It seemed to take a long time but finally other women joined these four and continued teaching as well as
taking care of poor, older women who lived alone. Because of all the work with the children and the
poor, Nano became very tired and sick. She kept on helping the people as long as she could. But on
Monday, April 26, 1784, Nano lay in her bed with her Sisters kneeling around her praying. Her last words
to them were “Love one another as you have always done.” She told them before she died that she could
see many, many Sisters in the years to come. She asked them to always look after the children. Then she
closed her eyes and the Sisters knew she was now with God.
Today there are thousands of Presentation Sisters helping God’s people all over the world. This map
shows you where these women who followed “One Brave Woman” are serving God, They work in
schools, parishes, prisons and hospitals. Some of them also do missionary work in other countries, work
with migrant workers and in programs for the poor and working to bring justice to God’s people. Don’t
you wonder what Nano must think of the work the Sisters are doing? I am sure she is very proud of their
efforts to look after all God’s children no matter what their age is.