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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.

This collection consists of published and unpublished material assembled by Simon Dalby for the preparation of his MA Geography thesis, ‘Political Ecology: A Study of the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement’ (University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 Unpublished material comprises correspondence, minutes, reports, fact sheets, posters and other items created by Irish anti-nuclear groups including Alliance for Safety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.

Programmes, flyers, conference proceedings, printed material, and recorded interviews collected by Victoria O’Brien, reflecting her interest in both the historical aspects of and current developments in ballet and contemporary dance. Much of the material in this collection was created and generated by Victoria O’Brien for her doctoral dissertation, published as A History of Irish Ballet from 1927 to 1963 by Peter Lang (Oxford and New York) in 2011.

Mainly programmes and press cuttings illustrating Sara Payne’s career as a dancer, teacher and choreographer; the activities of the Payne School of Dance and Mime; and the early development of ballet as an art form in Ireland.

The material consists of deeds, wills, marriage settlements, legal searches, statements, opinions, accounts and correspondence relating to the legal and administrative affairs of the Moore family of Moynehall, County Cavan. The documents are primarily concerned with Samuel Moore the elder and his younger son and namesake, who succeeded to the estate as a consequence of the untimely death of his elder brother. Of particular note is the material relating to the case of Moore v Jackson, which provides a good example of the complex set of procedures required to break an entail to facilitate the mortgaging of lands. Also of note are the copies of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century documents, the originals of which may no longer survive; and statements of title such as P15/1/2/1/1 which contain valuable genealogical information of the Moore family across three centuries.

This collection contains research notes and research material generated and collected by Grace O’Malley Cantillon while preparing her book on family history titled The Round House O’Malleys: The Power of One Woman! (2014). The collection encompasses a range of primary manuscript material sourced by the author, including letters from her uncle Thomas O’Malley to his mother and sisters while trying to carve out a life for himself in Australia between 1910 and 1914 (P83/1/6/3/2-11). Another interesting compilation of primary material (degree certificates, apprenticeship agreements, personal correspondence and memoirs) relates to Grace O’Malley Cantillon’s father, Charles Vincent O’Malley, who operated a successful dental practice in Limerick city in the first half of the twentieth century (see P83/1/6/7/1/1-P83/1/6/7/5/6). Also worth noting are the memoirs of Frank O’Malley describing his life as a rubber planter in early twentieth-century Malaya (P83/1/6/6/3-5). In addition, there is an extensive photographic component extending back to the 1880s. The primary material in this collection provides useful insights into Ireland as part of the British empire and the blossoming of the prosperous Irish Roman Catholic professional class following Irish independence.

The collection comprises programmes, brochures, posters and other promotional material relating to Fearghus Ó Conchúir’s choreographies and other projects in which he has participated. The items reflect both the diversity of Ó Conchúir’s international career and his intimate connection with his Gaeltacht roots.

Programmes, press cuttings, photographs, letters, and certificates collected by Cliodna O’Riordan. The items reflect the early years of the Irish National Ballet School and O’Riordan’s subsequent interest in ballet and other forms of dance.

The material in this collection was sourced by Professor Robert A. Stradling for his book The Irish and the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939, published in 1999. An intimate view of life in Spain for the Irish Brigadiers can be gleaned from some of the written material, which includes photocopies of diaries, memoirs, correspondence and routine orders. An entry in the diary of Tralee-man Tom Hayes, Legionnaire in ‘D’ Company, dated 15 December 1936, provides an account of the journey to Lisbon on board the German ship, the S.S. Urundi, noting ‘In bed all day very sick… Weather is bad… A lot sick one man broke leg other scalded when ship swayed…’ (P13/1/1/3/1). Photocopies of routine orders, many of which were originally typed out by Matthew Beckett of Westport, county Mayo, offer an insight into the daily life of volunteers after they reached Spain, addressing areas such as divine service, casualties, decease in strength, transfers, promotions, inspection of equipment, cleanliness and parades (P13/1/1/5/3).

The memoirs of Matthew Beckett, who served as Legionnaire in ‘C’ Company, offers a harrowing account of his company’s first night in Badajoz, stating ‘In Badajoz we had the first glimpse of the kind of war we were going into… It bore the marks of war on many buildings – blood-stained walls, scribbled mottoes on buildings… The Church had been used a stable for the mules during the Red occupation and it was badly marked & statutes burnt and defaced. A number of nuns from the adjoining convent had been tortured and shot’ (P13/1/1/5/10). One of a series of letters home from a young Brigadier with ‘C’ Company, Patrick Hickey, reassures his mother about his drinking habits in Spain, ‘…we get paid every week and we spend on grub and cigs, I never touch the drink now it is only a cod getting drunk out here you need your head where I am…’ (P13/1/1/2/3). Possibly one of the most poignant documents in the collection is a copy of the autograph book of Lieutenant Tom Hyde of ‘A’ Company, the first casualty on the side of the Irish Brigade. The document is a testament to the popularity of this man from Midleton, county Cork. Amongst the many warm messages from his comrades is one from General Eoin O’Duffy himself, recorded after Hyde’s death in February 1937, which reads ‘To Tom in Heaven. You were the first to join the Brigade, you were the first to give your life for this cause which the Irish Brigade is fighting for’ (P13/1/1/6/1).

The photographic component of the material includes a collection of original prints from James Roche, a photocopy of the collection of Joseph Cunningham and mostly photocopies of images of other Irish Brigadiers including Matthew Beckett, Leo McCloskey, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, James Finnerty, Patrick Hickey and Padraig Quinn. The James Roche collection contains views of life at the garrison at Cáceres, the trenches in Ciempozuelos and La Marañosa. One of the most moving images in this group is that of the body of Lieutenant Tom Hyde after an attack at Ciempozuelos (P13/1/2/1/3). The oral material consists of a series of sound recordings of interviews conducted mainly by Professor Stradling between 1994 and 1996 with Irish Brigadiers, their families and friends and addresses issues such as what prompted them to join the Irish Brigade, their experiences in Spain and their views on the recognition received by the Brigade on their return from Spain from the church and the state. William Geraghty, from Dublin, attempts to explain his reasons for travelling to Spain by stating the following: ‘…in my limited learnings of the history of the friendship that existed between Spain and Ireland and all that Spain tried to do in the sad times my forefathers experienced, the Spanish Armada, giving sanctuary to the O’Donnells and all the rest…I felt indebted to Spain for their kindness to… our ancestors’ (P13/1/3/3).

Administrative documentation includes military dispatches, telegrams, correspondence and memoranda in English, Spanish, French and Italian, addressing a range of issues such as the arrival of the Irish Brigade, Irish casualties, the hospitalisation of Irish Brigadiers, disciplinary problems, the behaviour of General Eoin O’Duffy, the dissolution of the Irish Brigade and arrangements for repatriation, the issue of minors serving in the brigade and the activities of Irish Independent journalist Gertrude Gaffney. A photocopy of a telegram from Mussolini in March 1937 contains a message of support for the Irish Brigade, which translates as follows: 'Let the Legionnaires know that I am following hour after hour their action and it will be crowned by victory’ (P13/2/1/2/5).

Media coverage consists of newspaper articles printed before, during and after the war. Of particular interest is a series of articles produced by Special Correspondent for the Irish Independent, Gertrude Gaffney, giving an account of the day-to-day experiences of the Irish Brigadiers (P13/3/1/1/1-2). Post-war coverage includes articles in numerous Irish newspapers, with some items on the International Brigade (P13/3/1/2/1). It also addresses other published material including books, periodicals and other sources (P13/3/2/1).

The major strength of the Robert Stradling Collection is the fact that it successfully assembles documentation relating to the role of the Irish Brigade in the Spanish Civil War from a range of different sources, in Ireland and Spain. This body of material provides a number of different perspectives on the war, including the personal accounts of the Brigadiers, the official documents of the administration of General Franco and the Irish Brigade, and the views of the media at home and abroad. In addition, it provides access to copies of material that in many cases remain in private ownership today. The emotional impact of this collection cannot be underestimated. The official documents of the Irish and Spanish administrations provide an insight into the mechanics of war, whilst the diaries, memoirs, photographs and sound recordings provide a rare glimpse into the thoughts, feelings and actions of those men that followed General O’Duffy to Spain. This is a rich body of material that will provide a valuable source of information to researchers in Ireland and abroad.