Search Results for 'Patrician Brothers' College, Fairfield'

The establishment by the Patrician Brothers of a school for boys would have a fundamental influence on education in Galway for about 130 years. The school was set up by Brothers Paul O’Connor and James Walsh on a site belonging to the Charity Free School which was formerly an army barracks, and it opened in January 1827. Three hundred boys attended on that day. The total funding available to the school was the sum of one shilling.

When you think of it, the Patrician Brothers have made a major impact on the city of Galway since they came here. This has been particularly evident in the music world of the city — they set up a fife and drum band well over a century ago; they have trained countless choirs down through the years, which in turn led to the formation of the Patrician Musical Society; they have formed many céilí bands, teaching the boys to play the accordion, the flageolet, the mouth organ, the triangle, the drums, and castanets. There was such a demand for these céilí groups at civic functions that the brothers decided to put their best foot forward and form a brass band.