Posters, flyers, programmes and recordings illustrating the productions and other activities of Cork City Ballet.
Cork City BalletTwo small bound volumes of hand-drawn townland maps formerly in the possession of book collector Patrick Lysaght.
Ryves, DudleyThis small collection provides valuable information about the founding of the establishment and its subscribing members, ethos, funding and finances primarily between 1835 and 1848. It also contains statistical information about the parish and the volume of patients treated, and provides insights into which leading local families contributed or did not contribute to the funding of the Dispensary. It should be noted that the documents are purely of administrative nature and contain no names of individual patients or the nature of ailments and illnesses treated at the Dispensary.
Cratloe and Meelick DispensaryPromotional material and DVDs relating to performances given by Croí Glan Integrated Dance Company.
Croí Glan Integrated Dance CompanyThe Daly Papers provide a unique insight into the birth of the Irish republic and the country’s search for an identity in the first decades of its existence. At the core of the collection is material relating to John Daly, a prominent Fenian and a source of inspiration to the generation that followed, as attested by the quantity of correspondence from numerous prominent republicans of the time. Of particular note is Daly’s correspondence with Thomas Clarke (P2/2/1/11/1, 3, 5 and 6; P2/2/1/18/9-21, 23-27 and 29-30). Other items of note include Seán Mac Diarmada’s account of his part in the Howth gun-running operation (P2/2/1/31/8); Edward (Ned) Daly’s last letter to his mother on the eve of the Easter Rising (P2/2/1/17/2); and Kathleen Clarke’s letters to her sisters during her imprisonment in 1918-19 (P2/2/1/10/4-10). The latter also illustrate the role of women in the formation of the Irish republic, as do several other items of correspondence in the collection. Madge Daly’s draft memoirs (P2/2/2/2/1-5) provide a first-hand account of the events leading up to and immediately following the Easter Rising. Her account of a visit to Kilmainham Jail to see her brother Edward (Ned) Daly prior to his execution (P2/2/2/3/1) offers a unique insight into the hardship suffered by the families of the leaders of the Easter Rising, and added poignancy is provided by personal effects in Ned’s possession which were returned to the family after his death (P2/4/1/3). The large volume of photographs contained in Series 6 provides further insights into the main players of this most turbulent of times.
Material relating to the Dore branch of the Daly family opens a window into the young nation’s first steps as an independent state. Of particular interest are Edward Dore’s military medals (P2/4/3/1-4) and his determination to commemorate the Easter Rising in Limerick City which resulted in the erection of a memorial on Sarsfield Bridge in 1956 (P2/2/1/60/6/2, P2/3/1/3/1/1-4, P2/5/1/41 and P2/6/8/5-9); and his son Éamonn de hÓir’s impassioned campaign for the promotion of the Irish language (P2/3/2/3/3/1-14) and his extensive contribution to the study of Irish place names (P2/3/2/3/2/1-20). Also of note is de hÓir’s substantial research into the life of John Daly (P2/3/2/3/5/1-3 and P2/5/1/61-65) with a view to writing his biography, the publication of which was prevented by de hÓir’s untimely death.
The collection of letters and artefacts in the possession of the Daly family was originally considerably more substantial but the burning of their home in 1921 by the British Army destroyed much valuable material (see P2/2/1/19/3, P2/2/1/60/3/3, P2/2/1/62/5, P2/4/1/7 and P2/5/1/40). Records relating to the Daly family’s bakery in Limerick City are superficial, comprising mainly account books from Edward Dore’s time as manager. The fate of the papers relating to this business is unknown.
Daly Family of Limerick CityThe collection items consist of seals, reproductions of portraits and transcripts of documents relating to the De Laval and Willis families, providing in snapshot detail the fate of a high-ranking Huguenot family forced into exile, their efforts to create a new life in a foreign country, and the lives of their descendants.
De Laval family of PortarlingtonGlass plate negatives depicting images of Edward Donogh O’Brien, 14th Baron Inchiquin of Dromoland and Leamanegh, his children from his second marriage to Ellen Harriet née White, other family members and friends. Also depicted are views of Dromoland Castle and grounds, scenic beauty spots in County Clare and country houses and their occupants in England.
O’Brien, Edward Donough, 14th Baron InchiquinProgrammes, posters, flyers and recordings illustrating the events and activities of International Dance Festival Ireland (renamed Dublin Dance Festival in September 2007) since its inception in 2002.
Dublin Dance FestivalThe collection contains a vast array of documentation relating to the activities of the East Limerick Brigade during the War of Independence, both day-to-day organisation and military engagements involving the brigade. The material documents the logistical problems of running an amateur guerrilla army with extremely limited resources. It also paints a picture of the efforts made to maintain morale during the Truce of 1921. The collection includes a weekly British intelligence report by Major General Strickland (P46/2/1) providing a comprehensive account of the state of Ireland in February 1921. The report was captured by the East Limerick Brigade in 1921 and was slightly damaged by the British forces in an effort to burn it before it fell into enemy hands. Other documents of interest in the collection include the announcement of the Truce in July 1921 signed by Ernie O’Malley (P46/1/3/1/3), and an order issued by O’Malley of the steps to be taken in the event of the collapse of the Treaty talks and the resumption of hostilities (P46/1/2/2/12).
MacCarthy, John Maurice (1896-1976), Irish VolunteerThe collection is based on a single theme, namely, the publishing background to James Joyce’s Dubliners. The book did, indeed, have a very strange history. Its journey began in 1904, when Joyce submitted a collection of short stories to the publisher, Grant Richards. It was not until February 1906 that Richards accepted them. Unfortunately, Richards had problems with his printer who refused to set up the print for the story Two Gallants, as he objected to certain passages therein. Richards and Joyce had many debates and arguments about the deletion and modification of this and other passages in the book. Finally in 1907, Richards backed away from publishing the work. In 1909, George Roberts of the Dublin firm Maunsel & Co. accepted Dubliners and signed a publication contract in August of that year. However, Roberts had second thoughts about its publication soon after and the entire first print run of the book was burned before it was launched. Dubliners was finally published in 1914 by the original publisher, Grant Richards, a full ten years after it was written. McGrath seems to have had a great interest in discovering what influenced two successive publishers to reject the manuscript. Other items in the collection include an original Seán O’Casey letter to McGrath in which he enclosed a large signed black and white photograph of himself (P8/4). There are also press cuttings which comprise of an obituary of Oliver St. John Gogarty (P8/20) and a review of a book about Joyce (P8/21).
McGrath, Edward Patrick (1929-1994), journalist and consultant