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The O’Mara Papers comprise predominantly business and personal records created and generated by Stephen O’Mara Junior (1884-1959) in the course of his life. Material relating to his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings is perfunctory.

The business records cover mainly correspondence in O’Mara’s capacity as director of O’Mara’s Bacon Company and later as director of the Bacon Company of Ireland and do not encompass all operational aspects of the business. However the material provides an interesting view of the bacon industry in early 20th-century Ireland and its gradual decline from the 1930s onwards.

The personal records cover O’Mara’s political career, including his three terms as Mayor of Limerick from 1921 to 1923; the second Bond Drive to the United States, his subsequent imprisonment in 1922-1923 and the ensuing court case of 1927; and his later political involvement, particularly his role as a founding director of The Irish Press. His personal correspondence is extensive and illustrates O’Mara’s prominent role in the family as a provider of employment opportunities for the younger generations and as a generous source of financial support in times of hardship. Other material of note includes extensive correspondence and architectural drawings relating to Strand House, New Strand House and Ivy Bank House, homes of the O’Mara family.

One of the most significant aspects of the collection is material relating to the O’Brien family of Boru House, particularly the private correspondence of the novelist Kate O’Brien with her sisters, brother-in-law and nephew. The letters illuminate O’Brien’s method of writing, the creative process behind each of her novels and the ups and downs of her career as author. They also reveal her complete lack of financial acumen, her tendency to live wildly beyond her means, and her lifelong dependency on the fiscal good will of Anne and Stephen O’Mara. Of Kate O’Brien’s private life the letters reveal almost nothing, demonstrating a high degree of circumspectness and a tendency to compartmentalise various aspects of her life. The one rare exception is correspondence relating to her brief marriage and its aftermath in 1922-1925 which, while not revelatory as such, exposes a more vulnerable aspect of Kate’s personality.

The O’Brien material also contains correspondence to and from lesser known members of Kate O’Brien’s family, including her parents and her brothers Tom and Eric who died in 1918 and 1920, respectively. A small number of items relate to Michael O’Brien who died in institutional care in 1923. The identity of this individual has not been ascertained but he could possibly be Michael Alphonsus O’Brien who was born between 1888 and 1889 and is claimed to have died in infancy. Also of interest are letters from Austin Clarke to Anne O’Brien in 1916-1917 written in the early stages of the poet’s literary career, which reveal the fragility of his search for expression and sense of identity.

The material also comprises an extensive photographic record of the O’Mara and O’Brien families particularly in the 1920s and 1930s.

This collection offers insights into Lorna Reynold’s academic career, her work as a poet and translator of poetry and her personal life. Material relating to her academic career is perfunctory, consisting in the main of academic certificates, correspondence of mainly administrative nature and extensive research notes primarily on English literature for teaching, talks and academic papers. Material relating to her literary career includes manuscript and typescript drafts of her poems and short stories, many of which were published in newspapers and other publications, typescript drafts of a play, Swear Not by the Moon, and book reviews.

Undoubtedly the most interesting part of this collection is to be found among the records of Lorna Reynolds’ personal life, which incorporate some 800 items of correspondence with her lover Kate O’Brien. Uniquely, both sides of this correspondence survive from November 1946 to July 1949, after which only Kate O’Brien’s side remains. The letters reveal the intense nature of the relationship between two highly creative, strong-minded and extremely intelligent women and the many clashes and fallings-out their respective personalities inevitably generated. While Kate seemed to thrive on and be invigorated by this intensity, for Lorna, weighted down by her academic duties and a difficult domestic situation, it proved too much and her feelings for Kate receded, but their friendship continued until Kate’s death. Another interesting series of letters are those from Darina Silone née Laracy to Lorna Reynolds, which reveal on the one hand Darina’s marital unhappiness and its consequences, and on the other her devotion to her husband Ignazio Silone and her determination to preserve his legacy.

The Lorna Reynolds collection reveals the remarkable personality, strength of character and outspokenness of its creator, and her unyielding insistence on the rights of women to enjoy the same personal freedom and independence as men. On a broader scale, the collection builds an exceptional picture of the Irish academic, cultural and artistic circles in the twentieth century, circles in which Lorna Reynolds moved and played a seminal role.