Among the papers of Eamon de Valera about the Civil War period, one section covers the reorganisation of Sinn Féin, peace moves and the ceasefire (November 1922–August 1923). The documents in this section are wide-ranging, demonstrating that archives do not exist in isolation and are not neatly concerned with one topic. As the Civil War … Continue reading Aspects of the Civil War
The papers of the Burke family of Castlegar, County Galway, were deposited in UCD Archives by Colonel Dan Bryan in September 1975, and catalogued by Marie Altzinger in December 1981. The collection was assembled by Catherine Burke O’Donovan and covers the War of Independence and Civil War period. All the correspondence (except items UCDA P30/10–11, … Continue reading DOC SERIES: Papers of Margaret and Fr Tom Burke
Mary Spring Rice (1880–1924) was the second child and only daughter of Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron Monteagle of Brandon, Co. Kerry, and his wife, Elizabeth Butcher. She grew up at Mount Trenchard, Foynes, Co. Limerick and was fluent Irish speaker: an active member of the Gaelic League, Mary also served on the board of … Continue reading ‘This horrible civil war is poisoning everything’: The Letters of Mary Spring Rice (1880-1924)
Large archival collections can demonstrate to us institutional processes, providing evidence of activities and speaking to wider societal events. Sometimes, though, smaller collections can focus the historical eye on the most personal of experiences. In 2021, UCD Archives acquired the papers of Friedhelm Krüll, a German man who was brought to Ireland in the aftermath of … Continue reading Operation Shamrock
A recent generous donation to UCD Archives illustrates the complexities of archival sources in understanding events which are traumatic, personal, and which are also caught up in the sweep of great events. Muriel MacSwiney (née Murphy, 1892–1982) married Terence MacSwiney (1879–1920) on 9 June 1917 much to the disapproval of her family. They had one … Continue reading Personal Papers and Complex Sources: Muriel and Máire MacSwiney
Interacting with special collections and archival materials can be an impactful experience for the user. Turning the pages of a sixteenth-century book, reading a propaganda pamphlet from the Irish revolutionary period, finding notes and inscriptions of a former owner on ephemera and photographs, deciphering the handwriting of famous writer, feeling the texture of the paper, … Continue reading Special Collections: Inspiring Creative Practice
A member of Cumann na mBan, in December 1921 Lily O'Brennan (1878–1948) was on the secretarial staff of the treaty delegation, working at Hans Place, London, throughout the negotiations. An anti-treaty republican, O'Brennan was arrested during a raid on the anti-treaty headquarters at 23 Suffolk Street in November 1922 and, following this, was interned in … Continue reading DOC Series: Lily O’Brennan
The historian Francis Xavier (F. X.) Martin (1922–2000), joined the Augustinian Order of Friars in 1941 and was ordained a priest in 1952, having received a BA degree at UCD in 1949. His Master’s thesis won him an National University of Ireland travelling studentship to Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he completed his doctoral thesis in 1959. … Continue reading What Survives…
Caoimhín Ó Danachair — or Kevin Danaher, as he was more widely known — was collecting folklore in his home town of Athea, Limerick, on behalf of the Institute of Irish Folklore from as early as 1934. In 1935, while Ó Danachair was still a student of archaeology, the Director of the National Museum of … Continue reading Caoimhín Ó Danachair: The Ethnographer’s Eye
The Papers of Desmond and Mabel FitzGerald (UCDA P80) include letters from Ernie O’Malley to Mabel FitzGerald, which evince a warm personal friendship between them, in addition to a shared political philosophy. Mabel Washington McConnell, a Belfast Presbyterian and nationalist, met Desmond FitzGerald, born in London of Irish parents, at Gaelic League classes where he … Continue reading Ever yours, Ernie