Note by Fr. Stanislaus Kavanagh OFM Cap. re the existence of an apartment in the Ards House called ‘the Friar’s Room’. It reads: 'The morning after the building and property were taken over from the Land Commission Holy Mass was celebrated in the portion of the building assigned an oratory. In the course of the day one of the fathers remarked to the steward “I expect this is the first time Mass was said here”. The steward was doubtful and mentioned a tradition prevalent … [that] one of the apartments is called “The Friar’s Room”. The explanation given is that about 100 or 150 years ago a friar was accustomed to visit the family and inhabited that room. The steward presumed that when he came, he said Mass in the building'.
Photographic print of the female boarders at Coláiste Bríghde, Falcarragh, County Donegal. Coláiste Bríghde was one of four preparatory colleges founded between 1926 and 1929 to provide secondary education for aspiring primary school teachers. A manuscript annotation on the reverse reads ‘Coláiste Bríghde, Falcarragh, c.1944 / Chaplain, Fr. Danny Molloy’.
Studio photographic print of Pieter Stewart Bam (1914-2001). The portrait print is autographed. An annotation on the reverse reads: ‘Mr. Pieter Stewart Bam, son of the former owners of Ards House. Portrait presented by himself on occasion of his visit. Jan. 23rd 1949’.
Bound volume containing photographic prints of student friars at the Ard Mhuire House of Studies. Some of the prints are captioned. The album includes images of student friars at work (potato harvesting, bailing hay and routine household work) and at recreation (theatrical plays, weekend retreats, sleighing on snow-covered hills, and visits to the beach). Locations visited by the friars include Burtonport, Errigal Mountain, Aranmore, Doe Castle, Fanad and Kindrum. The album contains several views of Ard Mhuire Friary (formerly Ards House) and surrounding gardens. A small number of prints show friars examining what appears to be un-exploded ordnance on the shoreline. Other prints show ordinations at Ard Mhuire in 1955. Fr. Eustace McSweeney OFM Cap. and Fr. Donal O’Mahony OFM Cap. are present in some of the prints.
