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Julia Cecilia Harris née Ryan was born on 4 August 1855 as the fourth of the nine children of Michael Robert Ryan of Temple Mungret, Limerick and Julia Teresa née Kieran. Her father was a solicitor and agent to many prominent landowners of the day. Julia’s family were devout Roman Catholics and she was accordingly educated at St Leonard’s Catholic Boarding School for girls in Mayfield, East Sussex. She married George William Harris on 22 April 1875 at the Dominican Church, Dominic Street, Dublin and had four children: George Joseph (1876-1922); James Michael (Jim) (1877-1949); Richard Edmond (1880-87); and Mary Josephine (May) (1882-1946). She died on 21 April 1933 in Kensington, London.

William Hare, 1st Earl of Listowel (1751-1837) was a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons until the Act of Union in 1801. Having voted in favour of the Union, he was raised to the peerage of Ireland as Baron Ennismore in the county of Kerry. He was created Viscount Ennismore and Listowel in 1816 and Earl of Listowel in county Kerry in 1822.

Field Marshal Douglas Haig was a decorated military officer and commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He was created Earl Haig in 1919.

Catherine Gyll was born Catherine Doolin in Dublin in 1923. After seeing a production by the Irish Ballet Club at the Abbey Theatre in late 1939, she auditioned for and was invited to join the Club by its director, Cepta Cullen. Catherine studied and performed with the Irish Ballet Club until 1943, during which time she also studied radiography at St. Vincent’s hospital, Dublin. Catherine performed in most of the Ballet Club’s repertory during this period, including Puck Fair, Aisling, Lanner Waltz, Rhapsodie, and Peter and the Wolf. In 1943, Catherine went to work in London where she met and married theatre director Peter Gyll (1913-1989) while working as an Assistant Stage Manager. Catherine returned to live in Ireland in 2004.

Charles Henry Gubbins was born at Woodstown, Lisnagry, county Limerick on 16 August 1859 as the fourth son of provision merchant and justice of the peace William Gough Gubbins (1820-1902) and his first wife Mary née Russell (d. 1874). The family later moved to Castle Troy, county Limerick and subsequently lived at Castleconnell, county Limerick. Charles was educated at St John’s College, Newport, county Limerick and Abbey School, county Tipperary, and followed his father into the merchant trade, working for the food company Messrs W. J. Shaw and Sons in Limerick.

In his free time, Charles Henry Gubbins was a keen cyclist and athlete. Between 1881 and 1887, he served as honorary secretary to the Limerick Amateur Athletic and Bicycle Club. He was a popular figure in social circles with a cheerful disposition and a good sense of humour. He possessed a good singing voice, played the cornet with notable skill and was an enthusiastic amateur thespian, appearing regularly both in concerts and plays.

In 1889, Charles moved to Cork to manage the firm’s branch in that city. It was probably here that he met his future wife, Martha Banyer Trew, whom he married in Cheddar, England on 2 February 1898. In 1900, Charles was promoted to the charge of W. J. Shaw & Sons’ head office in Manchester, in which city he remained for the rest of his life. He died in Manchester on 31 December 1932.

Jill Gregory was born on 10 October 1917 in Bristol. Her family moved to Ireland when she was seven years old, and it was in Dublin that she was first introduced to Ballet. In 1931, she joined the Vic-Wells Ballet, founded in London by Ninette de Valois. The company later became known as the Royal Ballet. In 1962 Gregory was appointed its ballet mistress responsible for training the corps de ballet. She remained with the Royal Ballet until her retirement in 1986. She died on 5 January 2010, aged 92.

The 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. It was first raised in 1689 as Sir Albert Cunningham's Regiment of Dragoons. It was renamed Echlin's Dragoons in 1691, 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons in 1751 and 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons in 1861. The regiment fought in the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and also saw action at the Battle of Waterloo, the Crimean War, the Second Boer War and the on the Western Front during the First World War. In 1922, the regiment amalgamated with the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon guard to form 5th/6th Dragoons in 1922.

The 10th (Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1715, when it was known as Gore's Regiment of Dragoons. It was renamed the 10th Regiment of Dragoons in 1715 and, after two further name changes, became known as the 10th (Prince of Wales's Own) Royal Hussars. The regiment saw action during the Peninsular War, Crimean War, Second Anglo-Afghan War, Madhist War and Second Boer War and was subsequently stationed in India and South Africa. In October 1914, the regiment returned to Britain to join the British Expeditionary Force for service on the Western Front during the First World War. On its return to Britain in 1921, the Regiment was retitled The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own). In October 1969, it amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) to form the Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own).

Deirdre Grant was born in Wexford and was first introduced to contemporary dance in that town in 1984, when she joined the Barefoot Youth Dance Company. She later gained a BA in Dance with Education from Middlesex University, London, undertook post-graduate training in Community and Youth Dance, and has recently trained with Joan Davis (Certificate of Somatic Studies). In 1999, she co-founded Myriad Dance with Brid Malone, and remains the company’s artistic director. Grant is the author of Are We Dancing Yet, published by Wexford County Council in December 2011.

Myriad Dance successfully promoted dance awareness, participation, and appreciation regionally through various dance performance-based initiatives (mainly site specific works) and development initiatives, including the Sonraigh Youth Dance Festival and the Pulse Youth Dance Programme (2001-2008) in partnership with Wexford County Council. The latter was expanded in 2009 and continued to operate under the name Education and Community Programme @ Myriad as the largest youth dance partnership with a local authority in Ireland. In July 2009, Myriad Dance moved into the newly built Wexford Opera House, in which they were one of two resident dance companies. Over the years, the dance company’s intense focus in youth and education left it at odds with its original role as a production company. As a consequence, the dance company was wound down in 2015.