Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1925-2007 (predominantly 1925-1927) (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2 items
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Julia Cecilia Harris née Ryan was born on 4 August 1855 as the fourth of the nine children of Michael Robert Ryan of Temple Mungret, Limerick and Julia Teresa née Kieran. Her father was a solicitor and agent to many prominent landowners of the day. Julia’s family were devout Roman Catholics and she was accordingly educated at St Leonard’s Catholic Boarding School for girls in Mayfield, East Sussex. She married George William Harris on 22 April 1875 at the Dominican Church, Dominic Street, Dublin and had four children: George Joseph (1876-1922); James Michael (Jim) (1877-1949); Richard Edmond (1880-87); and Mary Josephine (May) (1882-1946). She died on 21 April 1933 in Kensington, London.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated to the University of Limerick by Julia Harris’s great-grandchildren on 30 November 2007.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Bound hardback volume containing a typescript entitled My Memories, written by Julia Cecilia Harris née Ryan and dedicated to her children and grandchildren, together with a card identifying the names of the memoir’s donors and date of donation. The title page of the volume is dated 17 March 1926 while the last page is dated 19 March 1926. A footnote on p. 8 suggests that the writing of the original manuscript was under way by 1925. In addition, some pages were added as an afterthought in 1927 before the document was bound. Typing is uniform throughout the text, including a much later dedication of January 1945, which reads ‘To Arthur [Arthur James Littledale], from Mummie [Mary Josephine Littledale née Harris] With all my love’. The uniformity of the typescript suggests that the document was typed and bound post 1945. There is also a handwritten dedication on a page preceding the title page ‘For my darling Christopher [Tugendhat], from his devoted Mother, Máire [Tugendhat née Littledale], grand-daughter of the author of these memories. And for his descendants.’ This dedication is dated 29 March 1972 and it is likely that the original manuscript was typed and bound by Máire Tugendhat in that year. The memoir, which narrates Julia Harris’s life events in considerable detail, provides exceptional insights into the life of the prosperous Roman Catholic middle class in Ireland in the second half of the nineteenth century, Ireland’s status as part of the British Empire and the violent events which led to its emergence as an independent nation in the early twentieth century.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Items have been arranged chronologically by date.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Bound volume and paper document in good condition.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Content warning: Parts of the memoir describing life in colonial Africa and India contain language which is considered inappropriate today but is reflective of its time, and which some readers may find offensive.
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Description control area
Description identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition (2000), Irish Guidelines for Archival Description (2009), National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (1997) and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services (2018).
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Level of detail
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Archivist's note
Papers arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba in February 2023.