Enniskillen 1^st October 1864.

Some 25 years ago there was an amateur band in Enniskillen, which was the ruin of every young man who joined it. A counter irritation or opposition band was got up in the Roman Catholic Chapel, which the late Rev. James Shiel, P.P., made smithereens of. He jumped into the big drum and beat the musicians out of the chapel with their own instruments – and we ceased not till we scattered the amateurs. During the existence of those bands the town had no peace: about forty young men were completely demoralised, some of them enlisted, others emigrated, and not a few lost their lives. The present boat racing mania is a source of much mischief, which must be abated. No respectable person should have anything to do with the Boat Club, or subscribe to its funds – it is a nuisance.