Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1857-1991 (predominantly 1926-1974) (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
7 standard boxes, 1 outsize box, 2 photograph boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
A pioneer in Irish fiction, Kate O’Brien was born in Limerick on 3 December 1897 to horse-dealer Thomas O’Brien and his wife, Catherine Thornhill O’Brien. One of ten children, O’Brien had three older sisters, Mary, Clare and Nance (or Anne), and six brothers, John (or Jack), Thomas, Eric, Michael, Michael Alphonsus and Gerard William. Tragedy struck the young family in 1903 when Catherine O’Brien died of cancer. Kate O’Brien was just over five years of age at this time and was to become the youngest boarder at Laurel Hill, a French convent school in Limerick. O’Brien’s father passed away in 1916, and in that same year Kate received a county council scholarship to read French and English in University College Dublin.
Kate O’Brien graduated from University College Dublin with a B.A. degree in 1919, moving to England where she worked as a free-lance journalist for The Sphere, followed by a position in the foreign language department of The Manchester Guardian Weekly. In 1921, O’Brien moved to London, and taught at St. Mary’s Convent in Hampstead for approximately six months before travelling to the United States as a companion to her sister Nance and her husband Stephen O’Mara. O’Brien returned from the States in 1922 but this did not mark the end of her travels, moving to Spain that same year to work as a governess in Bilbao. O’Brien taught the children of the Areilza family over a ten-month period, forming a deep attachment to Spain that was to remain with her for the rest of her days. Returning to London in 1923, she married a young Dutchman, Gustaff Renier. However, this union was only to last eleven months before the couple separated.
Spanning nearly fifty years, Kate O’Brien’s literary career commenced in 1926 with the play Distinguished Villa. O’Brien’s first work was the result of a bet with a friend that she could write a play within a number of weeks. It was performed at the Aldwych Theatre in London on 2 May 1926 and was met with wide acclaim. Several other plays followed in 1927, including The Silver Roan, The Bridge and Set in Platinum. It was her first novel, Without My Cloak (published in 1931), however, that established O’Brien as a significant Irish writer. A chronicle of the Considine family, this work was awarded the Hawthornden Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. In 1934, O’Brien produced her second novel, The Ante-Room. This was followed two years later by its unsuccessful adaptation for the stage in London’s Queen Theatre, and in addition, the first of two works to be banned by the Censorship of Publications Board in Ireland, a novel entitled Mary Lavelle. Also addressing the subject of Spain is the highly personal travelogue Farewell Spain published in 1937, largely in response to the events surrounding the Spanish Civil War. This work was subsequently banned in Franco’s Spain and the author was forbidden access to the country until 1957 with the intervention of the Irish Ambassador to Spain. O’Brien’s play The Schoolroom Window was performed that same year at the Manuscript Theatre Club in London.
In 1938, O’Brien’s fourth novel, Pray for the Wanderer was published, and followed two years later by The Land of Spices, her second work to be banned in Ireland. O’Brien spent the early years of the Second World War in Oxford and London, working for the British Ministry of Information. The writer moved to Devon in 1942 boarding in the house of novelist, E.M. Delafield, and over the next year published The Last of Summer, which was performed as a play at the Phoenix Theatre in London and the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin between 1944 and 1945. The publication English Diaries and Journals was produced in 1943. O’Brien’s seventh novel, That Lady, was published in 1946. A great success, this work was published in North America as For One Sweet Grape. The novel was adapted for the stage in November 1949, directed by Guthrie McClintic and starring Katherine Cornell as Ana de Mendoza. The play opened in the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway, and in 1955, the novel was made into a motion picture.
Kate O’Brien returned to live in Ireland in 1950, buying a handsome property in Roundstone, county Galway. O’Brien continued to be productive in her new surroundings publishing her biographical work Teresa of Avila in 1951, followed by her eighth novel, The Flower of May in 1953. The writer travelled to Rome in Italy in the early months of 1954 in preparation for what was to become her ninth and final published novel, As Music and Splendour. A decade after her move to Roundstone, O’Brien returned to England, settling in Boughton, Kent. Whilst the 1960s did not yield any further fictional work, O'Brien produced another travelogue entitled My Ireland in 1962. A collection of reminiscences of her early family life, entitled Presentation Parlour, followed in 1963. In addition, the writer produced articles for different publications including her ‘Long Distance’ series in the Irish Times. O’Brien was involved with numerous literary organisations during her lifetime including P.E.N. and the Comunità Europea degli Scrittori (where she represented Ireland). Kate O’Brien died in Kent on 13 August 1974, aged 76, leaving behind a body of unfinished work including her memoirs and what would have been her tenth novel, Constancy.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated by Austin Hall, godson of Kate O’Brien and nephew of her long-term friend Mary O’Neill, on 27 June 2002.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This collection is a fascinating record of the life and career of writer Kate O’Brien, providing not only a cross-section of her literary output, but also an insight into the private world of one of Limerick’s most prolific daughters. This body of material is an extremely valuable source for researchers in Ireland and abroad. It contains many personal items such as O’Brien’s correspondence with family, friends and admirers, diaries recording appointments and other news, and material relating to her financial affairs. Her long-term relationship with artist Mary O’Neill is reflected in a number of cards and postcards exchanged between the two women from the late 1940s until the year of O’Brien’s death. Letters from José M. De Areilza, one of O’Brien’s former students in Bilbao, suggest how living and working in Spain influenced the writer. De Areilza states the following in a letter dated 26 May 1952, ‘…this year I went to London for a short trip… and found at last the famous “Mary Lavelle” which I was looking for since years ago. You can imagine with what a tremendous anxiety I went through that pages and the vivid scenes of life in “Casa-Pilar” at Cabantes, Altorno. The book is really fascinating. And for me it was still more, because a whole world which slept in my memories, for years, woke up and dreamt again as in the golden times of adolescence. Thank you, Miss Kitty, for bringing to life that dear shadows of my youth!’ (P12/1/2/2/5).
O'Brien’s diaries, dating from the early 1960s and covering just over a decade, record the writer’s daily activities, appointments, travel plans, financial dealings and occasionally more personal information such as the state of her health or mood. The collection also provides insights into O’Brien’s financial affairs. A letter to the Collector of Taxes in London dated 5 June 1963 reveals her on-going struggle to control her finances, ‘…I am not resident in the British Isles. It is my intention to live there, but since I sold my house in Ireland three and a half years ago I have been in very bad circumstances; have been living as the guest of friends and relatives in Ireland or in Spain, am unable to pay rent anywhere, and earn only pittances… I cannot afford to rent even a bed-sitting room’ (P12/1/4/2/5).
The component of O’Brien’s literary work is mostly in draft format and often contains handwritten amendments. It consists of travelogues, articles, essays and short stories, lectures, biographies, novels, and material for radio and film. Essays and short stories in draft format include ‘Singapore has fallen’ (1942), ‘On Ballycottin Strand’ (1945), ‘Old Balls MacSweeney’ (1956), ‘Boney Fidey’ (1956) and ‘Manna’ (1962). Two drafts of ‘Presentation Parlour’, the author’s reminiscences of her aunts, are contained in the collection. One of these documents reveals a selection of possible titles for the final publication including ‘Presentation Parlour’, ‘Five Aunts’ or ‘My Aunts’ (P12/2/1/4/2/1). One of the most interesting components, however, is the body of material relating to O’Brien’s last novel, ‘Constancy’, which remained incomplete at the time of her death. The collection holds both handwritten and typescript drafts of book one and two of the novel, each containing their own amendments. O’Brien’s interest in poetry is also reflected in two handwritten drafts of a poem about Haverstock Hill executed by the author in 1964.
The collection also illuminates O’Brien’s dealings with her literary agents and publishers and includes publishing contracts outlining conditions relating to copyright, royalties, publishing rights and payments, as well as financial material and correspondence. The author’s involvement with broadcasting bodies such as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio Éireann and Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE) is also represented. A letter from Guy Vaesen from the Script Unit of the BBC dated 12 October 1973 refers to the script for ‘Pray for the Wanderer’, stating ‘It has not been the easiest novel in the world to dramatize and this final version is the fourth’ (P12/2/3/1/2).
Also of interest are mostly typescript drafts of articles produced by O’Brien from her home in Kent as part of the ‘Long Distance’ series for the Irish Times, addressing a variety of issues from Northern Ireland to Charles de Gaulle. There are also drafts of lectures for different audiences including the Europea degli Scrittori, Sir William Gibb School for Girls in Faversham, Canterbury College of Art, and Association of Professional and Business Women. Of additional interest is O’Brien’s involvement with educational projects such as the Catholic Youth Encyclopaedia, Irish Week in the University of Valladolid in Madrid, Spain, and the Canadian Association for Irish Studies in McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Media coverage of Kate O’Brien includes reviews and articles relating to the author’s work dating from the 1920s to the middle of the 1980s, a scrapbook of press-cuttings from 1927 to 1934, and a number of articles on other subjects including the death of actress Katherine Cornell, the Burren in county Clare and politician Cecelia Lynch. There are also press cuttings relating to the death of O’Brien in 1974 in the Irish and British Press. Publications and other printed matter in the collection include works by Kathleen Cunningham, copies of two of O’Brien’s novels, ‘Without My Cloak’ (which contains the signature of Mary O'Neill's sister, Elizabeth Hall), and ‘Mary Lavelle’, a programme of a bullfight at Plaza de Toros de Madrid, and of the play ‘That Lady’ performed at Dipson’s Erlanger Theatre in October 1949. An essay by O’Brien entitled ‘As to University Life’ includes a handwritten note on the cover of the volume which reads ‘This may amuse you, pet – frightful misprints and all! It is causing uproar in the Governing Body of UCD – which was my hope & purpose in writing it’ (P12/4/7).
The photographic component provides a valuable record of O’Brien’s family life growing up in county Limerick, school days in Laurel Hill Convent, graduation from University College Dublin, close relationship with her sister Nance, travels to Spain and other locations, brief marriage to Gustaff Renier, literary commitments, life at The Fort in Roundstone, county Galway, move to Kent, England, and passion for cats. Some of the more memorable images in the collection include a black and white photograph of O’Brien’s mother Catherine as a beautiful young woman prior to her premature death from cancer (P12/5/1/1), two black and white images of schoolgirls from Laurel Hill Convent, some of the studio portraits of O’Brien (P12/5/2/1/1-17), and an image of O’Brien’s husband, Gustaff Renier (P12/5/1/31).
The collection also documents the sickness and subsequent death of Kate O’Brien in August 1974, and includes documentation from Canterbury Hospital relating to her personal possessions, copies of her death certificate, and correspondence between family and friends. The administration of the writer’s estate is also addressed, and significant documents include O’Brien’s last will and testament, a codicil of will, and material relating to Mary O’Neill’s dealings in her capacity as O’Brien’s Literary Executrix.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The collection has been arranged thematically into six main series. Series 1 addresses Kate O’Brien’s personal life and contains her birth and marriage certificates, passports, personal diaries and correspondence, including that relating to her financial affairs. Series 2 addresses O’Brien’s literary life, covering her literary work and dealings with literary agents, publishers and literary organisations as well as her involvement with various educational projects. Series 3 focuses on media coverage of Kate O’Brien in Irish and British newspapers, magazines and periodicals. Series 4 addresses publications and other printed matter by and concerning Kate O’Brien. The photographic component of the collection is contained in Series 5, while Series 6 addresses Kate O’Brien’s final illness and death and the administration of her estate. Within each series, documents have been sub-divided by type or source and arranged chronologically by date.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- Béarla
- Fraincis
- Iodáilis
- Rúisis
- Spáinnis
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Paper documents and photographs in good condition.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Some 650 letters from Kate O’Brien to her sisters and press cuttings and other items relating to her career can be found in the O’Mara Papers (P40) in the Special Collections and Archives Department, Glucksman Library, University of Limerick. The Lorna Reynolds Papers (P74) also contain several hundred letters from Kate O’Brien and some manuscript material. Further material relating to Kate O’Brien is held at the McCormick Library of Special Collections, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA, donated by a Chicago bookseller in 1970. This includes both manuscripts and published material, consisting of novels, plays, short stories, articles, talks and letters. In addition, the National Library of Ireland holds drafts of some of Kate O’Brien’s plays and short stories with related correspondence.
Publication note
The following publications to date have utilised the Kate O’Brien Papers (P12): Kate O’Brien: A Writing Life by Éibhear Walshe (Dublin, 2006); Kate O’Brien and the Fiction of Identity by Aintzane L. Mentxaka (Jefferson, NC, 2011); The Postcolonial Traveller: Kate O’Brien and the Basques by Aintzane L. Mentxaka (Palo Alto, CA, 2016); Kate O’Brien and Spanish Literary Culture by Jane Davison (Syracuse, NY, 2017); That Limerick Lady: Exploring the Relationship Between Kate O’Brien and Her City by Margaret O’Neill, in Deirdre Flynn and Maria Beville (eds.), Irish Urban Fictions (Cham, 2018); and Vol. 48, Issue 1 (May 2018) of Irish University Review, the entire issue of which was dedicated to Kate O’Brien.
Notes area
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Description control area
Description identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition (2000), Irish Guidelines for Archival Description (2009), National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (1997) and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services (2018).
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Archivist's note
Papers arranged and described by Róisin Berry in June 2003 and revised in May 2021. The following sources were used in the compilation of the finding aid: Dalsimer, A.M., Kate O’Brien, A Critical Study, Dublin, 1990; Hogan, R., Dictionary of Irish Literature; London, 1996; Liddy, J. (ed.) & Jordan, J. (guest ed.), The Stony Thursday Book, no. 7; Logan, J. (ed.), With Warmest Love, Lectures for Kate O’Brien 1984-1993; Limerick 1994; O’Toole, M., Portrait of the Artist as a Young Lady, UCD Connections, no. 1, Spring/Summer, 1997, pp. 43-45; and Reynolds, L., Kate O’Brien, A Literary Portrait, New Jersey 1987.