Letters Across the Atlantic

In June 2022 Miriam Farrell-Shtaierman, daughter of UCD Professor and RTÉ broadcaster Brian Farrell (1929–2014) and Marie-Thérèse Dillon (b.1929), deposited a collection of correspondence that her parents exchanged between July 1954 and March 1955. This blogpost gives a small glimpse into the lives of this young couple during a period of separation before their marriage.

On 27^th July 1954 Brian Farrell travelled by air from Shannon Airport to America. He had won a Fulbright Scholarship at Harvard University. He left behind his fiancée, Marie-Thérèse Dillon. Over the next eight months Brian and Marie-Thérèse exchanged almost daily letters until her departure from Cobh on 15 March 1955 to join Brian in America. Marie-Thérèse arrived in New York on 22 March 1955.

Brian Farrell was born in Manchester on 9^th January 1929 to Irish Parents, Francis and Teresa. He moved to Dublin in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War. He was educated at Coláiste Mhuire, University College Dublin (UCD) and Harvard University. Brian joined the administrative staff of UCD in 1955 and became director of extramural studies. In 1963 he was appointed as an assistant to the registrar. In addition to his work in UCD Brian worked in media, writing articles for the Irish Press and the Irish Independent. In 1962 he joined the newly established Radio Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and presented several political and current affairs programmes until his retirement in 2004.

Alongside his career in television Brian’s career in UCD also flourished. He became a lecturer in 1966 in the department of Ethics and Politics, progressing to senior lecturer in politics. In 1985 he was appointed associate professor of government and political science. He retired from UCD in the mid-1990s. Brian died on 10 November 2014.

Marie-Thérèse Dillon was born in Vienna in 1928. She was the only child of Dr TWT Dillon and Marie Berringer. Her uncle, James Dillon, was leader of the Fine Gael Party from 1959–65. Another uncle Myles Dillon was a Celtic Scholar and a senior professor in the School of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies from 1949–72. Her grandfather was John Dillon, the last leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He served as an MP for over 35 years. Marie-Thérèse was educated at the Sacred Heart School on Leeson Street, she also attended the Domestic College in Edinburgh developing her interest and skill in dress design. She worked as a manager in Larhams clothing factory in Dun Laoghaire.

The letters in this collection are essentially love letters between two young people who had to endure a lengthy separation at a pivotal point in their relationship. They had become engaged in 1954 knowing that the same summer Brian would be thousands of miles away. Marie-Thérèse describes familiar haunts in Dublin where she and Brian often spent time together, and meeting up with friends to go to the theatre or the cinema or walks in Dun Laoghaire and Killiney. Whereas Brian’s letters naturally include descriptions of new experiences and observations as he navigates a completely different way of life and cultural setting. The tone of the letters is very different. Marie-Thérèse is concerned about their wedding and saving money for that event but, in particular, she worried about her mother’s ill health which caused her much anxiety.

UCDA P358/16 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

We had rather a bad night, last night!—I came back from a very pleasant evening in Noëleen’s & found Mrs Joneses (no. 6 & 4) & a Mrs … from no. 3 (a trained nurse) the priest upstairs anoninting Mama & the Doctor on his way. Dr Roche arrived shortly & gave Mama a strong injection of Luminal—apparently she has got Coronary Thrombosis—she only called me 3 times during the night. But its hard to sleep when your listening for the bell. So I got this morning off & having slept late—did the shopping & made the lunch—thank goodness Mama seems to be over this attack. But shes terribly weak the Dr. is coming again today so I hope he’ll settle her comfortably. Mrs Joneses (both of them) were terribly kind—& our new (neighbour) friend, being a trained nurse will come & help should anything happen again.

(P358/16, postmarked 26 August 1954)

She also fretted over Brian, about his clothes, what he was eating, how much he was studying but included plenty of gossip and funny stories about UCD, mutual friends and her fellow workers in Larhams. She adored fashion and requested Brian to send her American Vogue and describe the fashions he observed in America.

UCDA P358/33 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

My Dearest,

Well, yesterday Con & I went to Sheila Coakley’s for tea—after which I was fool enough to suggest she take us for a drive (she has her brother’s car at present) she’s a terrible driver—we went to Bray via Killiney village—in Bray I found a totaliser machine (a slot machine) that was paying dividends (obviously broken) so we had a pleasant hour at the amusements—the homeward road was hectic because Sheila had obviously never before driven in the dark & couldn’t judge distances. We called in to a ‘ye oldi worldi’ place in Stillorgan village for coffee & there Sheila’s car decided it had found ‘home-from-home’ & wouldn’t leave—at last, having taken ½ a gate with it we got going. Con & Sheila were off to the Pike Theatre but I decided to go home early as Mama’s so sick this weather.

(P358/33, postmarked 16 September 1954)

For Brian’s part he wrote about his research and the hours he spent in the Widener Library in Harvard working through the abundant material available to him. But Brian made time to enjoy American life telling Marie-Thérèse about drive-in movies, musical recitals and films he enjoyed. In August 1954 Brian writes to Marie-Therese describing a visit to Tanglewood, western Massachusetts, and a music recital at “the Shed”. The venue is the Koussevitzky Music Shed. It can host over five thousand people on lawns in front of the venue.

UCDA P358/151 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

My Dearest

The weather has suddenly become very damp although yesterday was lovely & Tanglewood was a really wonderful experience. We drove down in magnificent sun through an almost English landscape and after a picnic supper settled on the grass just in front of “The Shed”. This is literally a shed—a huge, barren structure that escapes being ugly since it is so lacking in pretension.

The audience (which was enormous) was very varied. There were longhaired music students complete with scores—as well as a few brash jazz fiends left over from the Friday night “pop” concert. Plenty of ordinary picnicers, tourists and “music-lovers” and a fantastic number of young people necking madly underneath great piles of blankets.

(P358/151, 16 August 1954)

He also participated as fully as he could in student life in Bard, a liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and Harvard. Ever the political observer, Brian wrote about American elections and attending a McCarthy rally. Joseph R. McCarthy was a US Senator who alleged that communists, Soviet spies and sympathisers had infiltrated the United States federal government.

UCDA P358/214 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

My dearest Marie-Thérèse,

Just back from Boston where I attended a meeting of the Eire Society—a rather vague talk by some priest. I met some people & of course Jim Barry. There was quite a crowd. We went down to the “Citizens for McCarthy” rally which was quite fantastic.

The meeting hall held about 2,000 and we barely squeezed in at 7.00pm (meeting due to start at 7.30) Outside were another couple of thousand I believe. The two main speakers were: some rabbi from New York—quite a rabble rouser on a sort of “McCarthy for God” rampage & don’t we all love McCarthy—and the quieter but more effective Roy Cohn (McC’s chief henchman). Of course, this meeting was for the faithful and there was no attempt made to convince the other side but I was amazed at both the vague treatment of the subject (everything & everyone involved was simplified) and the semi-hysterical reaction of the audience. Incidentally this crowd of crackpots plan to join the protest meeting in Washington on Thursday. One of the minor speakers rather let one angry cat of “McCarthyism” out of the bag when he dived into a bitter attack on crazy intellectuals who were stooges for the Communists; in effect, he appealed to some primitive & superstitious “religious” conviction against any sort of nationalism. Of course, to be fair, I must admit that the anti-McCarthyites often tend to be just as bitter, narrow and fanatic on the topic. Also on the platform tonight was James Francis Curley of whom I’ve heard ever since I came over. He was one of the old democratic politicians of Mass—an ex-governor & ex-mayor of Boston; he is also an ex-gaolbird—convicted for some sort of racketeering.

(P358/214, postmarked 8 November 1954)

Although he didn’t travel widely in America, he made numerous journeys back and forth along the eastern states of New York, Massachusetts and Virginia catching lifts from friends, taking long bus journeys and hitch-hiking. These excursions often resulted in an observation or a description of a modern way of life completely alien to citizens of Ireland in the 1950s.

UCDA P358/149 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

We then went up to the I.B.M.—they are a well-known American firm who make electronic brains (none there though), accounting machines & electric type-writers. We had a picnic lunch in the grounds of their Country Club—quite a fabulous place with a big dance-hall, swimming pool, recreations of all kinds, restaurant, lounges etc. It is all set in lovely surroundings & is beautiful. Unfortunately I.B.M is one of these “paternalistic” business places where the President calls people by their Christian names & gives them everything to make them contented & happy & leave them no soul of their own. The plant was very fine but dotted all over (even in the lavatories) with notices saying simply “Think”. As someone said it was all very 1984-ish & straight out of Huxley’s “Brave New World”.

(P358/149, early August 1954)

Marie-Thérèse set sail for America on 15 March 1955, she was met by Brian in New York, and they set off immediately for Brian’s great friend and archivist of the Roosevelt Papers, George Roach’s house in Rhinebeck. This marked the end of their separation and the daily letters. Marie-Thérèse wrote to her mother frequently over the next three months providing colourful descriptions of life in America. She also wrote glowing reports of George’s house in Rhinebeck, and the Cushman family in whose house Marie-Thérèse stayed for the two weeks before her wedding.

UCDA P358/287 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

I’m shopping for Brain’s meals in these “super-markets” which you saw in Bern I think—you get a wire “pram” when you walk in the door & then fill it with everything you want (& lots of things you don’t want too) & then stagger out!’

(P358/287, postmarked 2 April 1955)

UCDA P358/305 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon

My Dearest Mama,

We have arrived safely after a wonderful journey—we had a fine sunny day & good roads all the way down & perfect driving—George is in good form & the garden & house are looking lovely. After mass, today, we washed the car & then lay out in the garden under the trees doing nothing!—George has given up his room to us & we are going to enjoy this 6 weeks very much!

(P358/305, [May] 1955)

Brian and Marie-Thérèse married in St Peter’s Church, Cambridge, on Easter Monday 11^th April 1955. They were married by Fr Bernard O’Dea, O.S.B, a monk from Glenstal Abbey who was living in America at that time. Marie-Thérèse was given away by Jim Barry. Her bridesmaid, Mary Raleigh, was a friend of Brian’s. Michael Flynn, Irish Vice-Counsel, acted as best man. Afterwards they celebrated their union with a small gathering of friends, many of whom Marie-Thérèse had only just met.

UCDA P358/320 Letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Thérèse Dillon (P358/320 Brian and Marie-Therèse on their wedding day, 11 April 1955)

After the wedding Brian and Marie-Thérèse moved into Brian’s student bedsit, 146 Upland Road in Cambridge, and Brian continued his studies. For their last month in America, they returned to George’s house in Rhinebeck, New York. There they were able to relax for their last weeks in America in the surroundings of George’s very comfortable house and gardens, cooking, gardening and listening to music. 

They arrived back in Cobh on 21^st June 1955 and travelled onwards to the Dillon house in Booterstown, Dublin to begin their married life together.

The Farrell/Dillon letters will be available for consultation from 20 May 2024.

Note: Miriam Farrell-Shtaierman edited the letters and included many of them in her book P.S. Look out for snakes: The love letters of Brian Farrell and Marie-Therese Dillon (Katounia Press, 2022).

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This blog was written by Orna Somerville, Archivist, UCD Archives