Dossier 1/5 - Nano Nagle writing to Miss Fitzsimons

4 pp

Letter from Nano Nagle to Miss [Eleanor] Fitzsimons giving an account of a “very desirable” young lady (Miss Lawless) whom she is seeking to take on in Cork. The lady’s father is strongly opposed to her taking the veil and he has offered her a substantial sum of money should she reconsider and marry. The father’s uncertainty also reflects the wider political climate of the period, Nagle notes “… he says there is a probability in France they may Demolish all the Monasteries”. Nagle affirms Miss Fitzsimons and advises her to choose “any young lady you think proper” to enter the novitiate in Paris. Nagle’s agitation over bringing the Ursulines to Cork is also apparent, “I hope your fortitude will bring you true all crosses and put a happy conclusion to this foundation”.