Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1875-1980 (predominantly 1923-1954) (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
25 standard boxes, 2 outsize boxes and 4 outsize volumes
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Limerick Protestant Young Men’s Association (LPYMA) was founded in 1853 to provide and maintain suitable premises and grounds to encourage literary and scientific study, cultivate artistic taste, create good fellowship and provide spiritual, moral, social and physical improvement among its members. A permanent headquarters for the Association was acquired in 1875 at 97 George Street (later renamed O’Connell Street), to which a new gymnasium and lecture hall were added two years later. A sports ground was purchased in 1920 at Farranshone. The Association was governed by a president, vice-presidents, treasurer, secretaries and a committee of thirteen members elected during the annual general meetings. Among its other duties, the Committee was responsible for the approval and general control of clubs which operated within the Association and which were managed by their own sub-committees. The most important of such clubs were those for Hockey, Lawn Tennis, Cricket and Bowls, which in 1938 amalgamated into a unified Sports Club. The Association also operated a billiards room, and a large library and reading room. Prospective members had to belong to one of the reformed branches of the Christian Church and be of respectable moral conduct. Women were eligible and were exempt from the subscription fee provided that they had a male relative who was also a member. The Association’s popularity began to wane from the 1960s onwards. It remains in existence, but mostly in an administrative capacity to oversee the maintenance of its premises.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated to the University of Limerick by the Limerick Protestant Young Men’s Association on 7 June 2005.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
This collection contains records of the organisation, management and finances of the Limerick Protestant Young Men's Association, its members, staff, premises and club activities, particularly during the height of the Association's popularity in the 1920s and 1950s. There are no records relating to the Association’s foundation or early years (1853-1874), and few relating to its activities after 1959, when its popularity began to vane. The records are purely of administrative nature and reveal little of the Association’s temporal and spiritual aspirations. Arising from the fact that the Association’s secretaries were not obliged to hand over records in their possession upon resignation, some years and some aspects of the Association’s activities remain poorly recorded.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Some duplicate documents and surplus blank forms have been destroyed. All other records have been retained.
Accruals
Further accruals are possible.
System of arrangement
As the original order of the documents was no longer discernible at the time of acquisition, the records have been arranged into six series reflecting the major activities of the LPYMA. Series A (Committees) includes annual reports and related agendas and notices, minute books, lists of committee members and correspondence, mainly in connection with committee appointments, changes made to the club rules in 1944-1946, and the formation of the unified Sports Club in 1938. Series B (Membership) includes subscription lists, membership cards and correspondence, mainly relating to new members and the payment of subscription fees. Series C (Finances) includes account books, statements and summaries, bank statements and lodgement notices, debenture certificates and related correspondence, insurance policies, correspondence relating to malicious injury claims following a series of fires on the premises in 1922 and 1933, and income tax receipts. Series D (Premises) includes correspondence and subscription lists relating to the purchase of the new premises in 1875, estimates, tenders and correspondence relating to ongoing repairs, particularly from architects Clifford Smith & Newenham. There are also receipts for rent, rates and electricity and the purchase of goods and services. Material relating to the sports ground at Farranshone includes correspondence at the time of its purchase in 1920, and reports, drawings, estimates and correspondence concerning the maintenance of its courts, greens and boundary wall, the letting of a portion of the sports ground and the hire of groundsmen. Series E (Activities) includes diaries, receipts and correspondence relating to sports fixtures, excursions, bazaars, fetes and dances, lectures and classes, chess tournaments and whist drives as well as receipts relating to the purchase of sporting equipment, billiard tables and equipment, and money spent on advertisements, stationery and postage. Series F (Library and Reading Room) includes book and circulation catalogues, a suggestion book for additions to the library stock and receipts relating to magazine subscriptions and the purchase of books. A seventh series, Series G, comprises assorted maps, charts, photographs and architectural drawings relating to the LPYMA.
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
- English
- Irish
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Paper documents in good condition. A small number of items, mainly maps and photographs, require conservation treatment and are not available for consultation. These items have been identified in the descriptive catalogue.
Finding aids
PDF of the finding aid is available at https://www.ul.ie/media/28581/download?inline.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
A small number of records relating to the Limerick Protestant Young Men's Association, mainly photographs, are held by the Limerick City Museum.
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
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.
Status
Level of detail
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Papers arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba in October 2009.