Pair of late Victorian and early Edwardian scrapbooks in Winona Barrington’s possession, containing manuscript poems and ditties, pen and ink drawings, watercolours and autographs.
Barrington, Winifred Frances (1897-1921)The collection consists of manuscript and typescript biographical accounts of Volunteers and civilians who died during the War of Independence and Civil War and who had links with the West Clare Brigade IRA. The accounts provide detailed information concerning the birth, early education and military career of each individual.
The collection illuminates a turbulent period in Irish history stretching from the later decades of the nineteenth century until the end of the Civil War in 1923. The inclusion of biographical details of Volunteers who were killed during the Civil War while fighting on the anti-Treaty side makes it historically significant, as information of this nature was rarely recorded.
Twomey, Maurice (1897-1978), Irish VolunteerDrafts, published works, correspondence with publishers and literary agents and agreement forms illustrating Tom Nestor’s career as an author and playwright.
Nestor, Thomas G. (1936-2023), writerThis collection comprises printed and manuscript materials primarily relating to county Tipperary collected by Timothy Looney and research material assembled and generated by him for local history lectures and walking tours. The most notable element of the collection is the substantial quantity of estate papers relating to Shanbally Castle, Clogheen, county Tipperary, built for Cornelius O’Callaghan, 1st Viscount Lismore in c. 1810. The building was demolished in stages by the Land Commission between 1957 and 1960, during which time the bulk of the family papers were destroyed. The papers salvaged by Timothy Looney (for which see sub-series P43/1/1) include a near complete set of rentals from the early eighteenth to the late nineteenth century, a number of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century account books, extensive estate correspondence from the early nineteenth to the mid twentieth century, and a range of townland map surveys from 1715 to 1898 primarily for counties Cork and Tipperary. Clogheen Fever Hospital records (sub-series P43/1/1/2/3) and the 1821 census records of Clogheen (P43/1/6/2) are also worth noting, as is the unusually large set of correspondence between Viscount Lismore’s tenants in counties Cork and Tipperary and his agent William Rochfort from the turn of the twentieth century (sub-series P43/1/1/5/1/3/1-2). The Looney collection further contains a quantity of estate papers from Castle Hyde and Doneraile Court in county Cork, and Castle Otway in county Tipperary.
Looney, Timothy (Tim) (1914-1990), local historianThe collection comprises correspondence, press cuttings, press releases, reports, TV and radio broadcasts and photographs which reconstruct in considerable detail the events surrounding Herrema’s kidnapping and release and the subsequent trials of his abductors. Included among these items are police surveillance tapes recorded during the siege at Monasterevin and interior photographs of the house in which Herrema was held captive. Also included in the collection are correspondence, press cuttings, speeches, reports, photographs and recordings which illustrate Herrema’s career prior to and following his kidnapping, and his personal interests in later life. These items, in particular the considerable amount of material relating to Herrema’s appearance in the media, reflect the dramatic way in which the kidnapping changed the course of Herrema’s life.
Herrema, Tiede (1921-2020), managing director of Ferenka Ltd.This collection comprises two folio manuscript letter books bound in vellum containing copied letters from Thomas White to various named persons between 1702 and 1719. White writes mainly from London, and the letters are mainly concerned with the letting and management of his extensive portfolio of farms and properties, some in England but including a substantial number in County Limerick. Hovering in the background is the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), and the letter book provides insights into the effects of the on-going conflict on rents and land transactions. There is also a more personal side to the letter books, with several copies of letters to an aunt and cousins, rich in detail, with frequent references to court gossip, political and current affairs and personal family matters. The letter books open a vivid and multi-faceted view into the life of the prosperous middle class in the first decade of the eighteenth century.
White, Thomas (1676-1742), English solicitor and landownerThe material contains primarily correspondence, petitions and resolutions created and generated by Thomas Spring Rice during his political career.
Rice, Thomas Spring, 1st Baron Monteagle of BrandonDiary, letters, campaign medals and other memorabilia relating to Thomas Noonan's military service in the First World War and his death in Gallipoli in August 1915.
Noonan, Thomas (1891-1915), soldierThis collection consists of published and unpublished material assembled by Simon Dalby for the preparation of his MA Geography thesis, ‘Political Ecology: A Study of the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement’ (University of Victoria, Canada, 1982). Published material includes articles; books, booklets and pamphlets; conference proceedings, speeches and public lectures; EEC communiqués; newsletters; periodicals; press cuttings; reports; and treaties and acts. Unpublished material comprises correspondence, minutes, reports, fact sheets, posters and other items created by Irish anti-nuclear groups including Alliance for Safety and Health (ASH), An Taisce, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CONSERVE, Donegal Uranium Committee, The Ecology Party, Friends of the Earth, Noxious Industry Action Group, Nuclear Opposition Wexford, Nuclear Safety Association, Socialist Labour Party, Trade Union Anti-Nuclear Campaign and UCC Nuclear Opposition Group. There are also notes made by Simon Dalby during the preparation of his thesis, including extracts from published material; notes taken during interviews, conferences and seminars; and notes on minutes and correspondence.
Dalby, Simon, Professor EmeritusThe collection comprises approximately 250,000 photographic items, including press cuttings, reports, brochures spanning over five decades. Of particular significance are the photographs taken between 1959–1998, which visually capture the Shannon Development story, and provide unique insights into the life in Ireland in the latter half of the twentieth century. It chronicles the evolution of Shannon town, as well as the broader Shannon region from a large agricultural base to a leading industrial and tourism centre. There is also material relating to the wider Clare Region, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, and Kerry.
The photographs include images of the many people of renown that passed through Shannon Airport, coverage of the world’s first duty free zone and images of newly acquired aircraft. The early construction days of Shannon Town and people at work in associated industrial settings are also captured. There are many photos of events at Bunratty Castle, Knappogue Castle, Dromoland Castle, Cragaunowen and the Cliffs of Moher, which provide a valuable insight into the development of new tourist attractions in the region during the 1960s.
Besides offering a visual account of the development of the airport and its environs, the collection offers unique opportunities to consider a range of topics including life, culture, dress, and some of the social norms of Ireland in the latter half of the twentieth century.