heritage_project-_bi.. - Laois education Centre

Home from FranceIn about 1777 he returned to Ireland and Mountrath. Herehe carried out pastoral work but was very disillusionedby what he found. Poverty and hunger had driven manypeople into lawless bands. There were factions, fighting,drunkenness and religious duties were neglected.Mountrath was a much larger populated town then thanat present. He wished to return to France but the pleas ofhis mother kept him here.Curate of Tullow, Co. CarlowHe decided to stay and it wasn’t long before the bishopheard of his pastoral abilities and brought him to Tullow,Co. Carlow as his curate. Daniel realised that lack ofeducation was responsible for much of the evil around sohe started working with the children. He taught themhymns, prayers and catechism and he gathered somebetter-educated adults around him as assistants. He alsofounded the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament inTullow in 1785 and even though catholic worship wasstill opposed he held processions of the BlessedSacrament on Church festivals. He refused to let anyoneintimidate him.