Early Irish brothers

Joe Ward SJ of Manresa has been visiting the Province archives on an interesting quest: the links between pre-Suppression Irish Jesuit brothers and South America. Starting with the dates of brothers’ deaths, he found that only three out of some 30 died in Ireland, the first of these being the martyred Dominic Collins (pictured here – Brother Dominic seems to have been the first Irish Jesuit brother). The others died in Europe or South America. Very few if any joined the Irish Mission in Ireland. Joe suspects that some of them, like Dominic Collins, entered religious life after a career as soldiers. The quest continues.