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Letters to James Pearse from W.J. Ramsey, Manager, the Progressive Publishing Company, 28 Stonecutter Street, London. The letter of 25 November 1884 encloses a clipping of an advertisement for ‘Socialism a curse / a reply to a Lecture delivered by Edward B. Aveling’ and ‘Is God the First Cause?’ (1883) by ‘Humanitas’ (James Pearse).

Two letters to Germaine Stockley re the treatment of female republican prisoners. One of the letters is from Mary MacSwiney (Máire Nic Shuibhne). The letter refers to the release of her sister Annie MacSwiney from prison. She writes ‘I know how glad and happy you are about Annie’s release. She is getting on well but more slowly than I should like. The doctor says she must take great care for some time. Of course, she is not long out yet’. She also refers to a raid on her house and the imprisonment of other republican women.

Letters from Mary MacSwiney (Máire Nic Shuibhne, 1872-1942) to Fr. Henry Rope. Two of the letters are copies (Rope notes that the copies were made in 1947 and that he deposited the originals in the archives of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome). One of the copy letters (dated 21 Nov. 1922) refers to Mary MacSwiney’s treatment by the Free State authorities. It reads ‘The hardest part of my trial here is being deprived of the Sacraments as I have not succeeded in finding a priest who will be satisfied to hear the confession of my sins and let my political convictions alone’. The original letter (26 Oct. 1930) refers to the ‘terrible airship disaster’ involving R 101, a British rigid airship. The disaster claimed the lives of forty-eight of the fifty-four people on board including Fr. Henry Rope’s younger brother, Squadron Leader Frederick Michael Rope.

Letters to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. from Gertrude Parry, Rockport, Cushendun, County Antrim, re the life of her cousin Roger Casement. She thanks Moynihan for sending copies of the ‘beautiful and artistic Capuchin Annual’. She adds ‘I was so glad to read the articles about my beloved cousin, Roger Casement. There are two slight errors. His birthday was Sept. 1st not 15th Sept. and his eyes were grey not brown, real Irish eyes’. The other letter (dated 16 October) provides a long biographical account of Casement’s life and career (23 pp). An extract of the text reads: ‘He [Casement] left Ireland in 1914 (June) to collect funds in America for the arming of the Volunteers. Whilst he was there the war broke out. This put a stop to his activities over the Volunteers and he then turned his thoughts to trying to keep Ireland out of the war. He realised that the quarrel with Germany did not concern Ireland and in joining in it, she would only be sacrificing the flower of her young men to fight England’s cause’. The file includes a cover annotated by Fr. Senan. It reads ‘Notes on Roger Casement by Mrs Parry’.

Letters from George Noble Plunkett (1851-1948), 40 Elgin Road, Dublin, to Fr. Henry Rope. The letters include references to Plunkett’s desire to establish an ‘Academy of Christian Art’ in Dublin, Catholic literature, Father Rope’s visits to the Plunkett residence, and to contemporary political matters and public affairs in both Britain and Ireland. A recurring theme in the correspondence is Plunkett’s continuing republican opposition to the post-Treaty settlement in Ireland. An extract from a letter
written on 21 November 1929 reads:

‘I don’t want to write about politics, but I remind you that “if you want peace, you must prepare for war”; and, that a resolute nation, whose spokesmen refuse to accept threats, generally secures its liberty. We had won, when [Arthur] Griffith and [Michael] Collins surrendered: I have been assured of this by well informed unionists. I doubt that any man today is slave enough to echo John O’Connell’s dictum. “Nuff ced”, as the Yankees put it.
I think you asked me why we are for a Republic. Well, how otherwise could we get rid of a foreign King? And a “class” Upper House”? And the tradition of Heaven-born Ministers? We are republicans because we are a nation of aristocrats, and so all equal; a true democracy.
My pen is running dry.
Yours very sincerely,
G.N. Count Plunkett
To be continued in our next’.

The file also includes some letters from George Noble Plunkett’s wife (Josephine Plunkett née Cranny), and daughter Mary Plunkett. The letter from Mary Plunkett refers to the death of Count Plunkett. It reads ‘The poor old man was in bed for more than three years. We expected that he would go very quickly. Instead of that he was dying for twelve days. The poor old body was worn out, but that strong valiant spirit held on. He suffered a lot, so much that we prayed that God would take him. The end was very quiet’. (5 May 1948). A letter to Fr. Senan Moynihan from Fr. Henry Rope in this file refers to his donation of Plunkett's correspondence ‘for your Archives, which may also one day be of historical interest’. He also notes that he has given some of his correspondence with Count Plunkett to Saint Isidore’s College in Rome. (20 Dec. 1951)

Letters from Frank Ryan (Proinsias Ó Riain), An Cumann Gaelach, University College Dublin, to Br. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. re Irish language content in 'The Father Mathew Record' and corrections and emendations to the serial publication of ‘Scéal “Sheandúin”' (by Tadhg Ó Murchadha) in the periodical.

Letters from Fr. Henry Rope, Venerable English College, Rome, and Mount Carmel Lodge, Quidenham, Norwich, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Rope affirms that he has ‘searched everywhere for the letters of Count Plunkett. He promises that he will send the same to Fr. Senan once he has retrieved them. He also confirms that he will send the letters written to him by Professor William Frederick Paul Stockley and his wife Germaine. He notes that he had ‘the great privilege of being their guest in October or November 1927 at Woodside, Tivoli, Cork’. He also refers to some letters of Professor William Stockley which he suggests Fr. Senan might like for the Capuchin Order’s archives. The file also includes a partial (two-page) listing of some of Father Rope's material deposited in the Irish Capuchin Archives.

Letters from Douglas Hyde (‘An Craoibhín’), 1 Earlsfort Place, Dublin, to Br. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. giving his recollections of Tadhg Ó Murchadha (‘Seandún’) and his commentary on the publication of ‘Scéal “Sheandúin”’.

Letter from the Royal Insurance Office, to Margaret Pearse, Sandymount Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin, re a policy of life insurance on her late husband (James Pearse) and the amount paid to the National Bank Ltd. on his death. With two manuscript enclosures seemingly re James Pearse’s debts and his account with the National Bank (4 March 1902).

Letter from Terence MacSwiney (Toirdhealbhach Mac Suibhne) to Diarmuid [Ó Murchadha]. The letter encloses a printed notice from John Beresford, 5th Baron Decies, Chief Press Censor for Ireland, asking newspaper editors to refrain from publishing a statement issued by the members of a Cork club of Sinn Féin re an attack on the club by Royal Irish Constabulary (5 December 1917).