A collection of papers relating to Patrick Pearse (1879-1916), a barrister, writer, and educationalist. He was born in Dublin on 10 November 1879, the elder son and the second of four children of James Pearse, a sculptor, and his second wife, Margaret. As a political revolutionary, Pearse rose to prominence as one of the key figures in the Easter Rising of 1916. He was chosen as the president of the republic which the rebels proclaimed during the insurrection. Pearse was executed in Kilmainham Jail on 3 May 1916. The collection comprises mostly personal papers including correspondence, legal records, writings, and some printed works. Much of the material relates to Scoil Éanna, the Gaelic school founded by Pearse in Dublin in 1908. Many of the letters in the collection relate to Pearse’s fundraising trip to the United States from March to June 1914. The purpose of this visit was to raise funds for Scoil Éanna and many of the letters are from potential donors and Irish Americans sympathetic to Pearse’s cultural nationalism. Other papers relate to the routine management of the school and to lesser extent Pearse’s involvement with the Irish Volunteers. From the latter perspective, a record and attendance book of the Irish Volunteers in Dublin covering the months leading up to 1916 Rising, is clearly a significant document in the collection. Other records refer to the precarious financial state of Scoil Éanna and to Pearse’s efforts to keep the school solvent. Some notes by Pearse on mainly education-related subjects are also extant in the collection. Several documents in the collection are either in Pearse’s hand or are endorsed with his signature.
A letter from Helena Concannon (1878-1952), Salthill, County Galway, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Concannon thanks Fr. Senan for the payment for her article on Lady Georgiana Fullerton.
Copy letter from T.J. Kiernan (1897-1967), Irish Minister to the Holy See, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Kiernan refers to the deprivations and the scarcity of food stuffs in Rome. He adds 'Altogether for seventeen months there has been no real leadership. We lock ourselves in at 7pm because there is so much highway robbery under arms. The city administration collapsed'.
Letters from Michael Knightly (1888-1965), the government’s Chief Press Censor, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Knightly’s letter refers to the prohibition on the publication of images of coastal locations (such as Cobh, Mizen Head, and Portstewart Strand) and to restrictions on information received from foreign ‘wireless’ (telegraph or radio) sources.
A letter from James Mason (1909-1984), the English-born Hollywood actor, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. The letter refers to Mason’s tribute to the late Abbey Theatre actor F.J. McCormick (d. 24 April 1947), which appeared in the 1948 edition of ‘The Capuchin Annual’. Mason got acquainted with McCormick when they both appeared in the 1947 film ‘Odd Man Out’ in which the former played a mortally wounded republican bank robber on the run in Belfast. Mason requests that his fee for his McCormick tribute be donated to an ‘animal charity’ in Dublin.
A letter from Maud Gonne MacBride (1866-1953) to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. She refers to a letter of introduction she wrote for a 'Rumanian' who is seeking work in Ireland teaching French.
A letter from Kathleen O'Brennan (1876-1948), 44 Oakley Road, Ranelagh, Dublin, to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. O'Brennan offers an article for publication in 'The Father Mathew Record' and expresses her hope that she and sister (Áine Ceannt) will see Fr. Senan soon.
A letter from Art O'Brien (Art Ó Briain, 1872-1949) to Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. O'Brien provides information and captions for photographs to illustrate his article on the history of the Gaelic League in London published in 'The Capuchin Annual'.
A note from George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) referring to his financial circumstances which forces him to refuse any charitable requests made to him. A manuscript addition to the note reads 'Sorry; but you must write me off-your list of Maecenas. The above is serious, and at present acute. / GBS'.
