Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1893, 1896-1899, 1900 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
9 items
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Agnes Mary Gaffney was born in Limerick in 1874 to Thomas Gaffney and Agnes Mary née Clune and was educated at Laurel Hill Convent. She was her parents’ only surviving daughter, but had several brothers, many of whom became prominent figures in Irish public life. Among these were James Gaffney (1866-1933), who became a Crown solicitor for county Limerick; Joseph Gaffney (1868-1897), a prominent figure in municipal politics in Limerick and High Sheriff of the city during the year 1896; and Thomas St John Gaffney (1864-1932), who emigrated to America and served as US Consul General at Dresden and Munich in Germany from 1905 to 1915. A strong pro-Irish nationalist, he openly supported Germany during the First World War, which cost him his consular post.
Agnes Mary Gaffney divided her time between Ireland and America as a socialite and featured prominently in the cultural life of both countries. She also took an interest in women’s rights issues through the influence of her sister-in-law Frances Humphreys Gaffney née Smith, who was elected president of the National Council of Women in America in 1899. Agnes settled permanently in Ireland following her marriage to George Robert Ryan in 1900. Her subsequent life history is unknown.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Press cuttings, as follows: article on T. St John Gaffney’s role as solicitor to Dr Thomas Gallagher (1893); transcript of a Limerick Corporation meeting containing comments made by Joseph Gaffney as High Sheriff of the county (1896); review of a performance of Mikado in Limerick, in which members of the Gaffney family played several roles (1897); advertisement promoting Kendal Irwin’s concert at Theatre Royal, in which members of the Gaffney family were assisting (1897); transcript of a Limerick Corporation meeting praising Joseph Gaffney following his term as High Sheriff (1897); account of the wedding of Cornelius Patrick Redmond and Frances Mary Ryan (1898); articles on Fannie Humphreys Gaffney upon her election as president of the National Council of Women (1899); and a notice of the forthcoming marriage of George Robert Ryan and Agnes Mary Gaffney (1900).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
The documents have been arranged chronologically by date.