Lecture titled ‘Father Mathew / the motives inspiring his temperance work’ given at the annual meeting of the Father Mathew Temperance Hall, Queen’s Street, Cork. The text is probably by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951). The lecture reads: ‘This annual meeting occurs at the beginning of a year that will prove ever-memorable in the annals of history – 1919, the year of the World’s Peace Conference. The echoes of this mighty world war are still with us. But whilst it is true that its numerical dimensions dwarfed all past records, yet it is equally true that no individual in the world’s history ever marshalled a mighty force as Fr. Mathew did, [and] … in his movement there was no compulsion or conscription, yet his army totalled 10,000,000’.
Programmes for the Father Mathew Feis, Church Street. The printed programmes include timetables and syllabuses of competitions, souvenir publications and official prize lists. The programmes list the dates and times of the competitions and the names of the various judges and adjudicators. The adjudicators at the 1913 Feis included Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin (1878-1975) and Seán S. Ó Ceallaigh (otherwise known as ‘Sceilg’, 1872-1957). Eoin MacNeill (1867-1945) was a literary judge at the 1910 Feis. The programmes for 1909 and 1911 are copy prints from 'The Father Mathew Record'. Programmes for the following years are not extant in the file: 1912; 1932-39.
Photographic print of the exterior of Father Mathew Hall, Church Street, showing the old ‘Halla Maitiú’ sign (now extant in the Irish Capuchin Archives).
Rules of the Dublin Drama Festival held under auspices of the Father Mathew Hall, Church Street. The competition is confined to amateur drama groups, and players must be bona fide members of the group they are playing with. The winners qualified for the All-Ireland Drama Festival.
Draft resolution forwarded by Fr. Angelus Healy OSFC, Vice-President, Father Mathew Hall. Fr. Angelus suggest that the resolution ‘asks two things … first to endorse the work of the Irish Temperance Association and secondly to appeal for further financial support to enable the Hall Committee to extend their temperance propaganda’. The resolution refers to efforts to curtail the sale of alcohol on Sundays. The report notes that ‘we have Sunday drinking not in the interest of the public but in the interest of the publican’.
Draft letter to Walter Glynn Doolin, engineer, drawing attention to the ‘many defects’ in Father Mathew Hall which must be rectified without delay. The defects mainly relate to poor drainage facilities.
Inscribed on the bowl: ‘Corn an Athar Mhic Amhlaoib. Buchaillí Fé 12 Bl’ [Boys’ Under 12]. The base includes silver shields denoting winners from 1969-1997.
Copy minutes of the meetings of the Father Mathew Sodality, Queen Street (later Father Mathew Street), Cork. The minutes mainly refer to routine administration and membership matters pertaining to the sodality and Father Mathew Hall. The minutes are signed by the Presidents of the Hall including Fr. Matthew O’Connor OSFC and Fr. Joseph Fenlon OSFC. The location of the original minute book is unknown.
