Mostrando 30 resultados

Letters to and from Mother Mary Martin. They are from the early days of the Medical Missionaries of Mary, and thus are mostly concerned with matters pertaining to the foundation of the order.

The premises at Castleknock were purchased in 1834 by the Vincentians, who were at that time running a school in Usher’s Quay. They initially continued teaching in Usher’s Quay in the morning and went over to Castleknock in the afternoon, but this management of both institutions could not be carried on very long, so the Vincentians gave up the school in Usher’s Quay in 1839.

The seminary at Castleknock, for second and third level boys, was founded by the early Irish Vincentians just after they had officially joined the Congregation of the Mission. These Vincentians were Fathers James Lynch CM, Michael Burke CM, Roger Kickham CM and Thomas MacNamara CM.

Saint Vincent’s College was a Vincentian major (i.e. third level) seminary from 1835 until the purchase of Saint Joseph’s, Prospect House, Temple Road, Blackrock, in 1875 when it moved there.

It was also a minor (i.e. second level) seminary for Vincentian and also originally for Dublin Diocese students, until the Dublin Diocese moved its seminary to Holy Cross College in Clonliffe in 1859. After the move of the Diocesan seminary, Castleknock College became more lay than ecclesiastical in nature, but even with many lay pupils attending, most of them appear to have decided to join the priesthood, and most of these joined the Congregation of the Mission.

The school is still in existence as Castleknock College, but since 2006 it has only been for day pupils. It has also been a lay school since 1859 when the Diocesan seminary moved to Clonliffe. 3 September used to be the standard day to join the Vincentian Community for those starting the novitiate, as it was the start of term.

'The Capuchin Annual' was published by the Irish Province of the Capuchin Franciscans from 1930 to 1977. The purpose of the publication was clearly stated:

'"The Capuchin Annual" from its foundation presents Ireland to the world, sets forth the Irish way of life in all its phases: spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and social. It has been said that Ireland has a spiritual mission, and we believe that her mission is best fulfilled by showing her people, their customs, their literature, their art to the world. Our interest in Ireland exists beyond the confines of her shores to the achievements of Irishmen wherever their native genius has contributed to the glory of their own country or the country of their adoption'.

The 'Annual' was founded by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. (1900-1970), a Kerry-born Capuchin friar who exuded a deep literary interest. Shortly after his ordination in 1928 he was appointed editor of 'The Father Mathew Record', a popular monthly publication of the Irish Capuchins which promoted the Order’s overseas’ missions (particularly in Africa) and carried articles supporting the cause of total abstinence which had as its champion Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856), a charismatic friar who led a nationwide temperance campaign in the nineteenth century. Fr. Senan strove to create a higher grade, more literary publication. He was acquainted with many well-known Irish writers and artists and he secured permission from his superiors to publish the 'Annual' in 1930. Although its ethos always remained the promotion of Christian values and a Catholic way of life, the 'Annual' found many unique ways of exploring these subjects. In addition to the task of presenting Ireland and the Irish way of life to the world, 'The Capuchin Annual' also presented the Capuchin friars, their ideals, their history and their missionary endeavours to a wider audience. From its inception, the 'Annual' attracted a very high quality of contributing authors. It was a journal unique in Irish publishing containing many literary, historical, topographical, photographic, biographical, artistic, and cultural articles. Many Irish writers, artists and educators who later gained prominence such as Benedict Kiely (1919-2007), Francis MacManus (1909-1965), and Augustine Martin (1935-1995) received their first opportunities to publish in the 'Annual'. Other leading writers, artists, politicians and public figures who contributed to the 'Annual' included Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (1883-1964), Pearse Hutchinson (1927-2012), Daniel Corkery (1878-1964), Alice Curtayne (1898-1981), Aodh de Blácam (1890-1951), Richard Mulcahy (1886-1971), Leon Ó Broin (1902-1990), Brian O’Higgins (1882-1963), and Francis Stuart (1902-2000).

Fr. Senan crafted 'The Capuchin Annual' into a finely tuned expression of Irish nationalism. His editorial office was located on Capel Street in Dublin and it became a regular meeting place for artists and writers. He was also an acquaintance of Éamon de Valera and his successor as leader of Fianna Fáil, Seán Lemass. De Valera supported the 'Annual' and appreciated its editorial alignment with the nationalist agenda espoused by the Fianna Fáil party. The 'Annual' also strove to develop a wider public appreciation of Irish art. With the assistance of his friend Thomas MacGreevy (1893-1967), a noted literary figure and director of the National Gallery of Ireland from 1950-63, Fr. Senan promoted the work of Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats (1871-1957), Seán O’Sullivan (1906-1964) and Richard King (1907-1974). Fr. Senan was naturally gifted as a page-setter and the 'Annual' was regularly lauded. The 'Irish Times’ review of the 1937 edition complimented Fr. Senan as a ‘distinguished editor’ who had produced ‘one of the brightest magazines of the season’ ('Irish Times', 28 Dec. 1936). In 1942, Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) referred to the 'Annual' as an 'amazing phenomenon of modern political Catholic Ireland’ ('Irish Times', 10 Jan. 1942). The publication spread knowledge of and heightened awareness of Irish painting, sculpture, music, poetry and literature. Although its readership was predominately Irish, its circulation was international as it was frequently sent to Irish emigrants in the United States, Canada and Australia. The publication was immediately successful from a circulation point-of-view. Only 2,000 copies of the first edition of the 'Annual' were printed in 1930 and these were sold out within a month. By 1940 the print run had increased to 25,000 copies.

The 'Annual' was always published on high quality glossy paper, ensuring that reproductions of artwork were as good as one would expect in a fine arts journal. The publication increased in physical size by the 1940s. The 1930 edition had two hundred and thirty-six pages. This had increased to three hundred and ninety-eight pages in 1940. Throughout the difficult years of the Second World War (or ‘The Emergency’ as it was referred to in Ireland), the 'Annual' continued to be published, albeit on slightly coarser paper due to wartime restrictions. The high quality of the publication meant that it was a costly endeavour to produce. Printing full-colour reproductions of artwork along with the generous honorariums offered by Fr. Senan to contributors greatly increased production costs. Benedict Kiely was paid an exorbitant fee of thirty guineas for one poem about the 1916 Rising published in the 1942 edition. In 1936 Fr. Senan wrote to the Capuchin Provincial Minister to assure him that the publication was ‘solvent’. (CA CP-1-12-1). 21,000 copies of the 1937 edition were printed at a total cost of £2,500 with a profit of around £800. Despite these reassurances, it appears that Fr. Senan remained profligate in his spending. In 1954, he outlined a series of measures aimed at reducing the escalating debt of the Capuchin Publications Office (CA CP-1-5-1-2). This included selling off the office’s valuable collection of art (including three original paintings by Jack B. Yeats which he had purchased and reproduced in the 1942 'Annual'). These financial difficulties inevitably resulted in a strain on Fr. Senan’s health and he required hospitalization for periods in the late 1940s and in the early 1950s. In 1955 a decision was made at the Capuchin Provincial Chapter to remove Fr. Senan from the editorship of the 'Annual'. Fr. Nessan Shaw OFM Cap. (1915-1997), a fellow friar and friend, offered this assessment of the reasons for Fr. Senan’s departure:

'At the Provincial Chapter of 1955, Fr. Senan was transferred to the Capuchin Friary of the Most Holy Trinity in Cork with no definite assignment. Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. was appointed editor of the 'Annual' with Fr. Felix Guihen OFM Cap. as manager. The appointment of a manager was significant because it considered that the financial arrangements and the editorship was too much for one man. That proved to be the case with Senan with the result that in spite of his best efforts the publication ran into serious debt, certainly from 1950 onwards (note that the 1950 and 1951 issues were amalgamated). It is my opinion that this caused him serious worry and very definite stress. Due to his constant work in the promotion of culture and the art and the necessity of contact with contributors of first-class quality, Fr. Senan lived a life somewhat removed from the lifestyle of the ordinary Capuchin. He had premises at 2 Capel Street which served both as an office and an art gallery. There might be found famous writers and painters etc. who contributed to the Annual – Jack B. Yeats, Seán Keating, Count John McCormack etc. In addition, there was maintenance staff, so the financial resources were not there to meet the demands. This was the real cause of his problems'.

Finding it impossible to continue as editor of the publication he had founded, Fr. Senan later requested secularization and left the Capuchin Order to become a diocesan priest in Australia. He arrived in Perth in 1959 following an invitation from Archbishop Redmond Prendiville (1900-1968), a fellow Kerryman. On arrival, Fr. Senan took up a position as chaplain to the Mercy Sisters at St. Anne’s Hospital in Mount Lawley, Western Australia (now St. John of God Mount Lawley Hospital). Archbishop Prendiville appointed him archivist of the Perth Archdiocese in 1962. He died in Perth on 26 July 1970 and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.

The appointment of Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. (1910-1977) as editor of the 'Annual' in 1955 occasioned no real change in the ethos of the publication. The 'Annual' continued to publish an eclectic mix of content ranging from scholarly articles on the struggle for Irish independence to features extolling physical achievement, the national myth, rebellion, adventure, and spiritual and moral self-improvement. An awareness of the Capuchin Order’s commitment to the missionary work of the church explained much of the publication’s content as did an adherence to the predominantly conservative culture of the Irish state. Fr. Henry reflected on the 'Annual’s' purpose in 1965 as a publication ‘of prestige value … run by an Order on a shoe-string but produced as a Catholic and patriotic effort which has, I have no doubt, done much good for these objects over thirty years’ (CA CP-1-5-2-20).

Under Fr. Henry's editorship, the 'Annual' cemented its position as a popular cultural journal. He greatly expanded content which examined events associated with the Irish Revolution. The 1966 edition published detailed articles, profusely illustrated, on the 1916 Rising. The 1967 edition offered a striking pictorial record of the nationwide commemorations marking the fiftieth anniversary of the insurrection. Reproductions of contemporary photographs were also used to illustrate articles which reflected upon the ‘resurgence of the national spirit of Ireland after the 1916 prisoners were released’. More than two hundred and fifty pages of the 1970 edition were given over to memorializing key figures and events in the War of Independence. These anniversary features provided plenty of scope for forthright displays of national sentiment. Comparatively little was published on the contested history of the Civil War. Like Fr. Senan before him, Fr. Henry maintained the 'Annual’s' decidedly republican perspective. In a reassuring letter to the leading Fianna Fáil politician, James Ryan (1891-1970), Fr. Henry remarked that ‘the tradition of "The Capuchin Annual", as you know, has always been along the other [republican] side, and it is my intention that it shall remain so’ (25 Feb. 1969. CA CP-1-5-1-8).

'The Capuchin Annual' presented an unusual form of miscellany. Its extended length, designed to meet the needs of an annual publication, ensured that it exhibited a broadly conservative and nationalistic ideology in a comprehensive fashion. However, its goals of educating and elucidating in areas beyond the narrow confines of the prevailing culture of the state resulted in a varied mix of religious, literary, historical and artistic content. The 'Annual' attracted a readership who normally would not have even glanced at what was, outwardly, a religious journal. The renowned Irish playwright and critic, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), was an avid reader of the 'Annual', and it was one of the few Irish periodicals he subscribed to (CA CP-1-6-9). The final edition of the 'Annual' was published in 1977. A cursory note in this issue attributed its demise to the increasing costs of production. A ninety percent increase in printing costs from 1973-76 made the continued publication of the 'Annual' economically unviable. The print-run in 1976 (about 6,300 copies) cost over £14,500 and arrears in the Publications Office were running at over £1,200 per annum. Despite increases in the retail price of the periodical, it was clear that such losses were not sustainable. Many contributors, academics and literary critics lamented the journal’s demise. Fr. Henry limited himself to expressing an opinion that the decision to cease publication was a ‘mistake’ (CA CP-1-5-1-15). He died on 30 May 1977 just a few months after completing work on the final edition.

'The Capuchin Annual' was one of the most widely read Irish literary publications of the twentieth century. Though Irish-Ireland in its politics, the journal was never narrowly Catholic. The deployment of a wide range of topics ensured that it could not be easily located within the prevailing periodical culture of the period. Interested primarily in literature, history and art, it also took an astute view on issues of social and political import. The complete run of 'The Capuchin Annual' (1930-1977) has been digitised and is now freely accessible online.

'The Father Mathew Record' (later 'Eirigh')

'The Father Mathew Record' was a monthly periodical published by the Irish Capuchins. The 'Record' began publication in January 1908 and was founded by Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap. (1870-1957). The stated aim of this popular magazine was to ‘record, month by month, the efforts made by the Father Mathew Total Abstinence Association and the Father Mathew Hall to advance the sacred cause of temperance’. Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. was appointed editor in 1928. Under his editorship, the 'Record' increased the amount of coverage of the Capuchin overseas' missions, and by 1934 circulation had increased to 12,000 copies a month. During the Second World War foreign mission reportage was curtailed and, in its place, there was a greater emphasis on Franciscan spirituality along with articles on Irish culture, art and literature. Around this time, Fr. Gerald McCann OFM Cap. (1910-1948) assumed the editorship of the 'Record' leaving Fr. Senan to concentrate on the production of 'The Capuchin Annual'. Fr. Gerald was also a gifted artist and his humorous depictions of Franciscan life were regularly published in both the 'Annual' and in the 'Record'. 1967 marked the last year of the publication under the title of 'The Father Mathew Record'. Following his appointment as editor in 1967, Fr. Donal O’Mahony OFM Cap. (1936-2010) decided to broaden the appeal of the Capuchin publication and sought permission to change the name and enhance the content of the 'Record' to reflect current ideas about social and cultural issues affecting Christian living. From January 1968 the periodical was known as 'Eirigh' and it continued to be published by the Irish Capuchins until December 1973.

Collection Content:

'The Capuchin Annual' was published from 1930 to 1977. It only ever had two editors, Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. (1900-1970) and Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. (1910-1977). The distinctive cover illustration of St. Francis and the wolf was designed by Seán O’Sullivan RHA (1906-1964). The Three Candles Press founded by Colm Ó Lochlainn (1892-1972) printed the first three issues of the Annual. John English & Co. of Wexford assumed printing responsibilities from 1934 until 1957, and from 1958 until the final issue in 1977 it was printed by Dollard Printing House in Dublin.

Very many of the surviving records in 'The Capuchin Annual' collection relate to the editorship of Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. who assumed responsibility for the Capuchin publication in 1955 following the resignation of Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Fr. Senan subsequently settled in Australia in 1959. It has not been ascertained why so little of the archive associated with Fr. Senan’s editorship of the 'Annual' has survived. Fr. Henry noted Fr. Senan’s practice of ‘returning to all writers any manuscripts he had received and had not paid for’ (25 Nov. 1954. CA CP-1-5-2-1). It also appears that Fr. Senan did not maintain much contact with the Capuchin Publications Office following his departure for Australia. Many years later Fr. Henry affirmed that Fr. Senan ‘has had nothing to do with this place for over twenty years’ (21 July 1976. CA CP-1-5-1-15). It is conceivable that Fr. Senan took much of his personal archive (including papers relating to the operation of the 'Annual') with him to Australia. The Archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth (Fr. Senan was appointed archivist in 1962) confirmed that he died without making a will and that his papers were subsequently auctioned and dispersed following his death. In an article by Ormonde D.P. Waters on the Fenians in Australia published in 'Seanchas Ard Mhacha' in 1996, it is noted that Fr. Senan was a ‘dedicated Fenian researcher’ and that ‘his very specialized library was scattered in a second-hand bookshop shortly after his death’. In 2003 the National Library of Ireland acquired manuscript drafts of two poems ('The Mother' and 'The Fool') by Patrick Pearse (1879-1916). The Library purchased the manuscripts from the Archdiocese of Perth. The provenance note suggested that these manuscripts were gifted by Pearse’s sister, Margaret, to Fr. Senan before he left for Australia. A recent discovery by Professor Richard Sharpe of the first printing of Brian Merriman’s (c.1747-1805) 'Cúirt An Mheán Oíche' ('The Midnight Court') in the National Library of Ireland also refers to the prior ownership of ‘Fr. Senan Moynihan, Saint Anne’s Hospital, Mount Lawley, Western Australia’. Other material with a direct provenance to Fr. Senan (including an autograph poem presented to the Capuchin friar by Donagh MacDonagh, son of Thomas MacDonagh, the executed 1916 Rising leader) has been offered for sale at auction. This would seem to support the contention that many of the papers and ephemera of cultural and historical significance acquired by Fr. Senan during his time as editor of 'The Capuchin Annual' were dispersed and sold in the years after his death.

Many of the records held in the Irish Capuchin Archives are draft articles received by Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. for publication in the 'Annual'. A significant twentieth-century photographic archive is also extant. The collection also includes volumes containing copies of Fr. Henry’s outgoing letters along with financial records dating from the 1960s until the closure of the publication in 1977. A very large assemblage of ephemera in the form of photoengraving plates and stereotype printing blocks is also extant in the collection. These were likely returned to the Capuchin Publications Office by the firms responsible for the printing of the 'Annual'. The survival of certain record series is seemingly haphazard. In 1976 Fr. Henry referred to the destruction of ‘many periodicals and papers’ when the Publications Office moved from Father Mathew Hall to new premises adjacent to the Capuchin Friary on Church Street. (28 Apr. 1976. CA CP-1-5-1-15). The surviving records were subsequently transferred from the Publications Office following its closure. It is very likely that this transfer occasioned a further loss of material as the Capuchins had not yet acquired a suitable space for the storage of their archives.

This Fond consists of material relating to the Tertiary Carmelite Brothers of Clondalkin and Drumcondra. It is subdivided into two sub-fonds, the first of which primarily concerns the organisation of the Order, it’s laws and professions of vows and material written about its early history and publications about the Order.

The second sub-fond contains personal material belonging to Brother Vincent Corcoran to was head of the Order and primarily consists of his diaries, several artefacts, photographs, and publications regarding the Carmelites

Material originating from or addressed to the Superior General and the General Council of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles. Includes documentation from General Chapters, and correspondence and reports regarding the Irish Province.

The Presentation Sisters were founded in Cork, in 1775, by Nano Nagle for the education of poor girls.
Presentation Convent Killarney was the second foundation of the congregation and the first in Kerry diocese.
In 1775 Reverend Francis Moylan was appointed Bishop of Kerry and he took up residence in Killarney. He became a great friend of the then Lord Kenmare - Thomas Browne who was a staunch Catholic. He was anxious to promote the education of the poor in the town therefore the bishop got every encouragement from Lord Kenmare to start a Catholic school. Having known Nano Nagle he aspired to found a Presentation Convent in Killarney.
In 1785, Francis Moylan, Bishop of Kerry, took note of an educated young girl residing in Killarney, who had a religious vocation. He sent her, Lucy Curtayne, to the South Presentation Convent, Cork, to be trained in the religious life, with a view to establishing a Presentation Convent in Killarney. On 2 October 1793, Lucy Curtayne, now, Mother Joseph Magdalen, accompanied by Sr M Teresa Lane of the South Presentation arrived in Killarney and opened school on the following Monday.
They took possession of three tenement houses in New Street and lived there until 1801 when due to some legal reason they were forced to leave. Then they rented a house for two years until 1803, while a convent and school were being built. They remained there for seventy-five years – while both numbers of Sisters and pupils grew. The fourth and final building occupied by the Presentation Sisters in Killarney was built on land given by the late Earl of Kenmare. The work on the building began in 1875. The Sisters took up residence in the new convent in 1878.
In 1809, Mother Joseph Curtayne left Killarney to start the Presentation Convent Tralee. In 1838, Mother Teresa Kelly founded Presentation Convent, Miltown and went from there to found Presentation Convent, Listowel in 1844. Sr. M. Clare Barry, who was professed in Killarney, went from Miltown to found Presentation Convent, Millstreet.
In 1833 the schools conducted by the Presentation Sisters in Killarney came under the Board of National Education. In 1887, the Primary schools were built. A Secondary School was established in 1948 and in 1951 a spacious modern building was built. In 1961, a second extension was built. Free Education and Free Transport were introduced by the government in 1967. In 1984, a third extension including a modern Gymnasium was completed.
In 1973 it was decided that the pupils and staff of Presentation Primary School would transfer to the Mercy Primary School until the new school opened in Ballycasheen in 1977 when some staff and one Presentation Sister started teaching there.
Presentation Convent Killarney joined the diocesan amalgamation in Kerry in 1927. In 1976 the Union of the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary was established, and the Presentation Sisters in Killarney became members of the South West Province Ireland. From 1980 onwards there were less vocations to the Religious Life. Gradually the number of Sisters became less.
The convent closed on 17 November 2021. The five remaining Sisters were assigned to other convents in Kerry.
The collection consists of records relating to the Presentation Convent in Killarney from the foundation of the convent in 1793 to the closure of the convent in 2021. The subfonds includes material relating to the history of the Killarney community, the Primary School and the Secondary School, photographs, publications and correspondence. It also includes financial material which covers building works income and expenditure accounts, religious life and legal material.

Father Mathew Memorial Hall, Dublin

Father Mathew Hall stands at the corner of Church Street and Nicholas Avenue not far from Smithfield in Dublin’s north inner city. The origins of the Hall can be traced to the establishment by Fr. Albert Mitchell OSFC (1831-1893) in 1880 of a lay sodality called the ‘Temperance Society of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord Jesus Christ’. In 1881, meeting rooms were secured for the sodality at 3 Halston Street. The lease for the building was signed on 31 January 1881. The building, although in a dilapidated state, was put into enough order for it to open within a fortnight. The first meeting of the temperance sodality took place in the Halston Street Hall on 14 February 1881. At this time, sodality and religious confraternity membership was increasing all over the country in line with participation in all forms of lay piety such as in rosary, retreat and novena groups. The rapid expansion of membership of the Halston Street Temperance Sodality was emblematic of this period of devotional fervour. Fr. Columbus Maher OSFC (1835-1894) assumed the role of President of the temperance sodality in June 1883. Fr. Columbus undertook the formidable task of resuscitating the entire temperance movement and transforming it once more into a populist working-class crusade. Largely because of his efforts, membership of the Hall rose to over a thousand in both the male and female branches of the sodality. It soon became clear that the Halston Street Hall was inadequate to accommodate the increasing numbers. With the centenary of Fr. Theobald Mathew’s birth approaching in 1890, Fr. Columbus and the sodality committee decided to conduct a search for more suitable premises to meet the growing membership demands and to perpetuate the memory of Father Mathew as the ‘Apostle of Temperance’. Eventually, the committee secured the above-mentioned site on Church Street. The foundation stone of the building was laid by the Most Revered William Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, on 2 February 1890. It was designed by Walter Glynn Doolin (1850-1902). The Hall was formally opened on 25 January 1891. The total cost of the building was £4,000 to which was added another £2,000 in furnishings. The Hall quickly became a focal point for the local community as membership of the temperance sodality increased to almost two thousand members. Complementing the temperance function of the Hall were other social, cultural, and pastoral activities. Lectures, dramatic entertainments, pantomimes and sports events were organised by the sodality membership. Other activities included billiards, badminton, a drama group (the Father Mathew Players), a reading library and a cycling club.

Fr. Nicholas Murphy OSFC (1849-1923), appointed Sodality President in 1895, extended the Hall in 1901 with the addition of a new wing known as St. Brigid’s Hall. In 1905, further impetus was given to the entire temperance movement by the invitation offered by the Irish Bishops to the Capuchin Franciscans to undertake a ‘national crusade’ against the evils of intoxicating liquor. Fr. Aloysius Travers OSFC (1870-1957) extended the main auditorium of the Hall, inserted a new stage and erected an elaborate proscenium arch decorated with Celtic Revival motifs. A new library for sodality members was opened in the Hall in April 1908 by Fr. Peter Bowe OSFC (1856-1926), Provincial Minister. The Church Street Hall was regularly frequented by those interested in promoting the Gaelic cultural revival including Pádraig Pearse who urged ‘closer co-operation between the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) and the Temperance movement in the cause that is common to both … the regeneration of Ireland’ ('Father Mathew Record', May 1908, p. 76). Ownership of the Hall was vested in several elected trustees who represented the members of the temperance sodality. A Capuchin friar was always appointed President. The day-to-day management of the Hall was entrusted to a committee which was selected at an annual general meeting. During the 1916 Rising, Father Mathew Hall was used a field hospital by the Irish Volunteers who had occupied the nearby Four Courts. Capuchin friars gave shelter to wounded citizens, military and rebels, who were tended to by members of Cumann na mBan.

An annual Feis Ceoil competition ('Feis an t-Athair Maitiú') was founded by Fr. Aloysius Travers OSFC in 1909. The initial syllabus included competitions divided between singing, instrumental performances, Irish dancing and artistic creation. Among the first adjudicators at the competition were Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin (1878-1975), later the wife of Éamon de Valera, and the Sinn Féin politician, Brian O’Higgins (1882-1963). The Feis was an immediate success and attracted nearly two thousand entrants. Encouraged by this initial success more competitions were added to the Feis programme in subsequent years with the avowed aim of preserving native language and culture. In addition, various Dublin-based theatre companies used the Hall for their productions and several fund-raising concerts and drama festivals were held. In 1962, weekly bingo sessions were started, initially in the St. Brigid’s annex, and later in the main auditorium. To facilitate improvements to the Hall, the ownership of the building was formally transferred to the Capuchin Order in the late 1960s. Although these renovations succeeded in creating a relatively modern purpose-built theatre, by the early 1970s the membership of the temperance sodality had dwindled. As a result, the activities of the various temperance societies associated with the Hall came to an end. However, the Feis Maitiú continued to act as a focal point for the promotion of Irish culture and music.

In the absence of any state funding or assistance, the Capuchins maintained sole responsibility for staging the annual Feis competition. The only source for financing the Feis remained entrants’ fees and funding obtained from corporate sponsorship. By the mid-1990s, the costs associated with organising the Feis competition had become prohibitive. Further renovation work was also required if the Hall was to be maintained as a public amenity. In 1998 the decision was made to sell Father Mathew Hall and to discontinue the Order’s direct association with the Feis. In 2001 the Hall was sold by tender to Harry Crosbie, a property developer who converted the building into corporate office suites. As a listed building, the Hall’s interior Celtic Revival plaster-work was preserved, and other external architectural features were restored. The property remained vacant for some years before its purchase in 2014. The building is currently (2021) occupied by Newcourt Retirement Fund Managers Limited (NRFM).

Father Mathew Hall, Cork

Like its counterpart in Dublin, Father Mathew Hall in Cork originally functioned as a meeting place for the local Total Abstinence Sodality attached to Holy Trinity (Capuchin) Church. In 1896, it was noted that the sodality had over three hundred male members. On 30 January 1907, a Hall was opened on what was then Queen Street (later renamed Father Mathew Street). The Hall served as an amenity centre for the local community with a billiard room, a card room, a reading room, and a lecture theatre where occasional plays and talks were held. Major refurbishment work was undertaken in the 1940s during the presidency of Fr. Matthew Flynn OFM Cap. with the installation of new theatre seating, a balcony and improved stage facilities. The destruction by fire of the old Cork Opera House in 1955 left Father Mathew Hall as the only regular theatre venue in the city. Companies such as the Southern Theatre Group and Carol Clopet Productions subsequently signed fixed tenancies in the Hall. The reopening of Cork’s Opera House in 1965 prefigured a decline in the Hall’s fortunes but the commencement of bingo sessions offset some of the financial losses. The Everyman Playhouse Group took up a licence on the auditorium in the early 1970s and their renovation of the Hall ensured the continued survival of the building as a functioning theatre.

'Feis Maitiú Corcaigh' was established in 1927 by Fr. Micheál Ó Sé OFM Cap. (1892-1958) who saw the need for a platform to help and encourage people interested in the performing arts. Cork’s inaugural Feis ran for four days with about 300 competitors taking part. Father Mathew Hall was chosen as the venue for the Feis. The 400-seat auditorium has continued to serve as the festival’s venue ever since. Fr. Micheál served as President of the Feis for twelve years. During Fr. Matthew Flynn’s tenure as President, the first Cork Drama Festival was launched by the then Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael Sheehan. This festival, which has since ceased, was hosted at Father Mathew Hall, and ran for a fortnight under the adjudication of Ria Mooney (1903-1973), the Principal of the Gaiety Theatre School of Acting. By 1985 there were almost 12,000 performers registering with the Feis Maitiú Corcaigh. The festival was subsequently extended to eight weeks with classes in a range of disciplines covering a broad spectrum of the arts. The Feis continues to operate under the patronage of the Capuchin Order but the day-to-day management of the programme is now undertaken by a lay administrator.

Temperance Hall, Rochestown, County Cork

The Temperance Hall at the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork, was built in 1913 as a ‘centre of temperance propaganda’ for the surrounding locality. Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OSFC (1875-1950), backed by enthusiastic local support, organised a raffle which raised such a substantial sum that the Capuchins gave permission for the building of the Hall. When completed, the Hall was capable of seating just over 300 people. It was officially opened for public use on 15 December 1913 by the Lord Mayor of Cork and Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951), Provincial Minister. The new Hall consisted of a concert-platform, an auditorium and spacious committee rooms which could be used as classrooms. Despite the decline of the temperance movement, the Hall continued to function as a venue for drama, music and dancing productions. Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. (1901-1979) later strove to re-organise the management of the building which changed its name to Marian Hall in the early 1950s. Having laid vacant for many years, the former temperance hall at Rochestown was demolished in the 1990s.

Collection Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the Temperance Halls established by the Capuchin Franciscans in Dublin and in Cork. Most of the material dates from circa 1910-1960. The records relate to the establishment of sodalities and confraternities, the opening and operation of temperance halls, and the organisation of missions and retreats connected with the promotion of the Total Abstinence movement. The fonds consists of minute books, administrative files, financial statements, correspondence, plans, publicity material, newspapers, photographs and miscellaneous items of ephemera and artefacts connected with the use of these halls for the promotion of temperance and as locations of recreation for members of various local total abstinence societies. The fonds also includes records relating to the annual Father Mathew Feis ('Feis an t-Athair Maitiú') and to the educational lectures, concerts, sketches, dramatic plays, pantomimes and other social and cultural events held in these Halls to further the cause of temperance. It should be noted that the closure of Father Mathew Hall on Church Street in Dublin in the late 1990s likely resulted in the loss of a significant portion of the archival records of this institution.

Admin History
The Vincentians initially came to Lanark in 1859, when the new Church of St Mary’s, Lanark, was opened. When the parish of Lanark was handed over to the Vincentians it comprised, Carstairs, Kirkfieldbank, New Lanark, Ponfeigh and Douglas. The first Superior was Matthew Kavanagh CM. The church built in the 1850’s was destroyed by fire on 13th April 1907 and a new building was later opened on the same site in 1910.

St Mary’s Hospital, Lanark, was run in connection with the Community.

In 2006 the decision was made for the Vincentians to withdraw from the Parish of St Mary’s, after almost 150 years service. A Farewell Mass was held on the 11th June 2006 at St Mary’s Church, Lanark.

Scope and Content
This collection contains material relating to the Vincentian community in the Parish of St Mary’s, Lanark, Scotland. Items include: Correspondence (1855-2006), Photographs (1950-1978), Copy Deeds (1870), Lanark Teinds (1883-1907), Visitation Reports (1976 & 1980), Annual Return of Income & Expenditure (1963, 1993 & 1998), Minutes (1888, 1963 & 1980), Inventory of Property (1961), Architects Drawings (1977), Publications (1910, 1959 & 1990), Statements of Accounts (1925-1990), Receipts & Vouchers (1868-1954) Ordnance Survey Map (1947).

The archive contains letters, minutes, accounts, secondary sources and photographs regarding the Sheffield presence of the Vincentians.

CONTENTS

Reference Title

CMI/X/H/SHF(1&2)/1 Sheffield Vincentian History

CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/1 Summary of History of Saint Vincent’s, Sheffield, 1853-1926
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/2 History of Saint Vincent’s Schools, 1853-1985
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/3 History of Saint Vincent’s, Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/4 History of Saint Vincent’s, Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/5 ‘Sheffield History of Vins’
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/6 History of Saint Vincent’s, Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(1)/1/7 ‘A Detailed History of St. Vincent’s Church, Sheffield, 1846-1955’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/8 ‘St. Vincent’s: History of a Parish 1853-2003’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/9 ‘St. Vincent’s, Sheffield’ by EJ Cullen, 1933
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/10 Extract regarding Saint Vincent’s, Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/11 Events leading to Foundation in Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/12 ‘A History of Saint Maries’s Mission and Church’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/13 Former Saint Joseph’s Church, Walkley, Howard Hill, Sheffield
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/14 ‘The History of St. Joseph’s Home and Hospital’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/15 Saint Joseph’s School at Walkley
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/16 ‘Saint Michael’s Cemetery, Sheffield’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/17 ‘Saint Vincent’s Church, Sheffield’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/18 ‘St. Vincent’s Catholic Church – A Short History’
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/1/19 ‘The Illustrated Guide to Sheffield and the Surrounding District’

CMI/X/H/SHF(2&3)/2 Sheffield Correspondence

CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/2/1 Copies of Documents in CM Curia Archives, Rome
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/2/2 Documentation until early 1900s
CMI/X/H/SHF(2)/2/3 Buildings, Lands and Accounts of Sheffield Property
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/4 Saint Vincent’s and Saint Joseph’s Schools
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/5 Saint Michael’s Church and Cemetery, Rivelin
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/6 Dispute regarding Parish Boundaries
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/7 Compulsory Purchase Order and Housing Confirmation Order
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/8 Sheffield Vincentian Property and News
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/9 Refurbishment of Saint Vincent’s Hall, Church and Caretaker’s House
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/10 Sheffield Property, Finances and Change of Roles
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/11 Closure of Saint Joseph’s School and some other topics
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/12 Vincentian Sheffield Property
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/13 Vincentian Sheffield Finance
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/14 Eyre Trust
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/15 Plans of Properties; Notice of Entry; Compulsory Purchase Order
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/16 Finances relating to Sheffield Properties
CMI/X/H/SHF(3)/2/17 Vincentian Sheffield Finance and Property

CMI/X/H/SHF(4&5&6)/3 Sheffield House & Parish

CMI/X/H/SHF(4)/3/1 Groups and Societies
CMI/X/H/SHF(4)/3/2 Notebooks of Minutes, Missions, Visitations and Masses
CMI/X/H/SHF(5)/3/3 Photographs
CMI/X/H/SHF(5)/3/4 Legal
CMI/X/H/SHF(5)/3/5 Booklets and Leaflets
CMI/X/H/SHF(5)/3/6 Various regarding House, Church and Parish
CMI/X/H/SHF(6)/3/7 New Church Project

CMI/X/H/SHF(6)/4 Sheffield Research

CMI/X/H/SHF(7)/5 Sheffield Files from Provincial Office

CMI/X/H/SHF(7)/5/1 Sheffield Finance
CMI/X/H/SHF(7&8)/5/2 Sheffield Properties
CMI/X/H/SHF(8)/5/3 Sheffield Trusts