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The subseries comprises a small collection of papers relating to Fr. Michael P. O’Hickey (An tAthair Micheál P. Ó hIceadha), an Irish priest, academic, and Irish language campaigner.

O’Hickey was born in Carrickbeg near Carrick-on-Suir in County Waterford on 12 March 1861. Both his parents knew Irish as did most of the adult population of Carrickbeg, but by the time of his birth Irish was receding rapidly in his locality. However, the young O’Hickey did manage to acquire a certain knowledge of the language. He studied for the priesthood in St. John’s College in Waterford and was ordained in 1884. He ministered on the Scottish mission until 1893. On his return to Ireland, he became an active member and vice president of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League) and studied under the well-known Irish scholar Seán Pléimeann (1814-1897). O’Hickey also became a member of the Royal Irish Academy. In 1896 he was appointed Professor of Irish in St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. O’Hickey was convinced that it was possible to revive the use of Irish as a widely spoken language. However, after several clashes with the Catholic hierarchy and the Maynooth College authorities, he was dismissed in 1909 from his position as Professor of Irish, for his conduct in a controversy about making Irish compulsory for matriculation in the newly founded National University of Ireland (NUI). He publicly and repeatedly implied that episcopal members of the senate of the NUI who opposed making Irish compulsory for matriculation were traitors to Ireland and personally corrupt. He received support from several prominent Irish nationalists (including Eoin MacNeill and Patrick Pearse), Irish language activists, and some of his colleagues including Maynooth’s Theology Professor, Fr. Walter McDonald. He appealed his dismissal to the Vatican, but his case was ultimately rejected. O’Hickey subsequently returned to Waterford, and he died in Portlaw on 19 November 1916. He was buried in a family plot in Carrickbeg.

The material listed here was assembled by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap., the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’, and includes a bound volume containing several of O’Hickey’s pamphlets on Irish education published by the Gaelic League. A subscription list for a testimonial established by O’Hickey’s friends and supporters following his dismissal from his position in Maynooth is also extant.

The subseries comprises a small collection of papers (including photographs) relating to Dom Columba Marmion OSB, an Irish Benedictine abbot and spiritual writer.

Joseph Marmion was born in Dublin on 1 April 1858 to an Irish father and a French mother. On the completion of his secondary studies, he was received at the seminary in Clonliffe College in Dublin in January 1874. He completed his preparation for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained there in 1881. On returning to Dublin, he was appointed professor of philosophy at Clonliffe. On 21 November 1886 he entered the newly founded Belgian abbey of Maredsous, with which, by virtue of the Benedictine vow of stability, he was to be associated for the rest of his life. On commencing his life as a Benedictine, he took Columba as his religious name. The first thirteen years of his monastic life (1886-99) were spent at Maredsous itself. In 1899 he was sent as prior and professor of theology to the abbey of Mont-César in Louvain, Belgium, where he remained for ten years. He was appointed the third abbot of Maredsous in 1909, and he remained there for the rest of his life. He died in Maredsous on 20 January 1923. The first of Marmion’s great spiritual books, ‘Christ, the life of the soul’, was published to considerable acclaim in 1916. This was followed in quick succession by ‘Christ in His mysteries’ (1919), and ‘Christ the ideal of the monk’ (1922). Collectively, these books are seen as classics of Christian spirituality. Dom Columba Marmion OSB was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 3 September 2000.

The subseries comprises a small collection of papers relating to the Irish Catholic priest and novelist Canon Patrick Sheehan.

Sheehan was born in Mallow in County Cork on 17 March 1852. He was educated at St. Colman’s College in Fermoy. He studied for the priesthood in St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, County Kildare (1869-75). Sheehan was ordained on 18 April 1875 for the Cloyne diocese and sent on mission to England, where he served in Plymouth and Exeter. He returned to Ireland in 1877 to take up a curacy in his native Mallow. He was appointed parish priest of Doneraile in County Cork in July 1895. In 1903 he was appointed to the Cloyne diocesan chapter; hence he is most frequently referred to as ‘Canon Sheehan of Doneraile’. He was a prolific and successful author, writing a series of articles and essays on a variety of topics, and several novels, including ‘Geoffrey Austin, student’ (1895) and ‘The triumph of failure’ (1898). His most popular work was ‘My new curate’, published in 1900. Much of his writing centred on the issues faced by priests engaged in parochial work in rural Ireland. Sheehan took a keen interest in promoting modern agricultural methods, especially in tillage and dairy farming. He held weekly meetings with his parishioners in Doneraile and advised them in negotiations with their landlords following the passage of Land Purchase Act (Wyndham Act) in 1903. Sheehan also maintained a life-long friendship with the agrarian agitator William O’Brien (1852-1928). Canon Sheehan was diagnosed as suffering from cancer in 1910. Following a lengthy residence at the South Infirmary in Cork, he died on 5 October 1913. He was buried at the entrance to his church in Doneraile. A bronze statue of Canon Sheehan by Francis William Doyle Jones (1873-1938) was unveiled not far from his grave in October 1925.

Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap., the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’, was interested in Canon Sheehan’s literary career. Much of the material listed here was compiled for a special supplement marking the centenary of Canon Sheehan’s birth published in ‘The Capuchin Annual’ in 1952. A good portion of the original material was seemingly acquired by Fr. Senan from Presentation Sisters who resided in Doneraile and who were acquainted with Canon Sheehan during his lifetime.

The subseries comprises a small collection of papers relating to Aodh de Blacam, an author, journalist, editor, and politician. Aodh de Blacam (Harold Saunders Blackham) was born in London on 11 December 1891. He was born into a prominent Newry Protestant family but later rebelled against his upbringing, converted to Catholicism, and became involved with the Gaelic League in the English capital. In 1914 he moved to Ireland and emerged as a leading propagandist for the nationalist movement. Around this time, he also Gaelicised his name to Aodh Sandrach de Blacam and learned the Irish language. During the War of Independence, he worked as a propagandist for Arthur Griffith and was appointed editor of ‘Young Ireland’, a Sinn Féin newspaper which sought to encourage nationalistic sentiments in Irish children and young adults. He remained remarkably prolific in his journalistic and literary output throughout his life and produced two major two major political manifestos during the revolution: ‘Towards the Republic’ (1918) and ‘What Sinn Féin Stands For’ (1921).

De Blacam opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and subsequently sided with the anti-Treaty IRA during the Civil War. He was interned by the Free State authorities in 1922. Following his release, de Blacam strongly identified with the political ideals of Éamon de Valera and Fianna Fáil. He continued his journalist career, serving as a book editor for the ‘Irish Times’ and regularly contributing articles to the ‘Irish Press’ and other newspapers and literary journals. De Blacam also wrote extensively for several Catholic periodicals such as ‘The Standard’ and the ‘Irish Rosary. The first edition of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ in 1930 carried two articles by de Blacam who forged a long-lasting friendship with Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap., the founding editor of the periodical. Moynihan was clearly an admirer of de Blacam’s writing and published several of his articles in various Capuchin publications. De Blacam’s major published books included ‘Gaelic literature surveyed’ (1929) and ‘The Black North’ (1938). He died in Dublin on 13 January 1951. His funeral was attended by many notable political figures including Taoiseach John A. Costello and his predecessor Éamon de Valera. He was buried in New Mellifont Abbey in County Louth. De Blacam’s final article, an account of the closing ceremonies of the Holy Year celebrations in Rome, was published posthumously in ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (1950-1).

The material listed here was assembled by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. following de Blacam’s death. The subseries includes drafts of de Blacam’s final articles for ‘The Capuchin Annual’ along with biographies, obituaries, tribute articles, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera.

William Pearse was born in Great Brunswick Street in Dublin on 11 November 1881. He was the younger brother of Patrick Pearse, the writer, educationalist, and revolutionary. He joined the family sculpting business and ran it following the death of his father James Pearse in 1900. William attended classes at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art between 1897 and 1910 and he seemed destined to embark upon a career as an artist. He later became a full-time art teacher at Scoil Éanna, the Gaelic school founded by his brother in 1908. Although William was more of an artist than a revolutionary, he shared his brother’s interest in the Irish language and Gaelic culture. Like his elder brother, William was also a founding member of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. During the Easter Rising he served as a captain on the headquarters staff and stood alongside his brother as he read the Proclamation of Independence. William Pearse was one of the last, if not the last person, to leave the General Post Office after the evacuation order was given. Following the surrender, he was court-martialled and, contrary to expectations, executed in Kilmainham Jail (4 May 1916). William Pearse was the only one of the executed leaders to plead guilty, though he exercised no real authority during the rebellion and his leadership role was said to be minimal.

The Capuchin Franciscans have worked in Ireland since the seventeenth century. From the middle of the nineteenth century the Irish Capuchins manifested a missionary zeal which took them from home to the furthest corners of the globe. Irish friars have undertaken overseas missions in the United States, Africa, New Zealand, and South Korea. Well over one hundred Irish Capuchins have ministered in Africa since the first friar arrived in South Africa in 1929, and in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) in 1931.

South Africa

In 1927 the Vicar Apostolic of Cape Province in South Africa, the Most Rev. Bernard O’Riley (1868-1956), invited the Irish Capuchins to open a mission. The friars responded positively to this request and in 1929 Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. (1876-1958), Fr. Alban Cullen OFM Cap. (1902-1957) and Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. (1901-1979) began missionary work in the Cape Flats on the outskirts of Cape Town. From the outset, the friars ministered among the marginalized black and ‘coloured’ (or mixed-race) populations of the area. Two foundational parishes were initially assigned to the Capuchins at Athlone (St. Mary of the Angels) and at Parow (Immaculate Conception). Parow is located eleven miles from the centre of Cape Town. The parish included the townships of Elsies River and Vasco located in the greater Cape Town municipality. The racial composition of Parow was mixed with both white and ‘coloured’ inhabitants. Athlone is located six miles from Parow and about twelve miles from Cape Town and has a predominately mixed-race population. In 1935 the Athlone foundation expanded to incorporate ministries at other locations including Langa and the Welcome Estate. Additional ministries were commenced in Matroosfontein (1933), Tiger Valley (1951), Belgravia (1954), Bridgetown (1967) and Elsies River (1979). All these parishes are situated in the Archdiocese of Cape Town. Within five years of arriving in South Africa, the Capuchins had built churches at Athlone and at Parow. Presbyteries, schools, and training colleges followed.

Of necessity, the Capuchins in Cape Town worked chiefly as parish priests offering public masses, attending sick calls, and promoting the cause of temperance. Other duties included evangelisation, organising lay religious sodalities, ministry to coverts, pre-nuptial courses, retreats, prison ministry, and promoting vocations and formation work for new friars. Despite the violent political unrest provoked by the system of racial discrimination known as apartheid, the Irish friars continued to labour among the poorest and most segregated in South African society. The work of the Capuchins with the ‘coloured’ population of Cape Flats and in the townships continued despite the frequent and fierce repression of the white minority government. In the seven parishes served by the Capuchins in South Africa in the 1980s, five were in the so-called ‘coloured’ areas, one in the African area, and one which straddled a racially mixed district. Education was a key element of missionary work within the Capuchin parishes and schools were established with the assistance of the Holy Cross Sisters, the Christian Brothers, and other religious congregations. The Capuchin Custody of South Africa remains under the jurisdiction of the Irish Capuchin Province and Irish friars continue to work in a variety of religious and social ministries in the country alongside missionary friars from Tanzania and India.

Zambia

In 1930 another field of missionary activity was offered to the Irish Capuchins. They were invited into vast area of 168,000 km2, comprising the Livingstone district and Barotseland, the western province of what was then called Northern Rhodesia (now the Republic of Zambia). Before 1931 there was no resident priest in the whole area from Livingstone to the Angolan border in the north. Prior to the arrival of the Irish Capuchins in 1931, the Barotseland mission was nominally under the control of the Prefect Apostolic of Broken Hill (now Kabwe), a town nearly four hundred miles north of Livingstone. The territory was effectively virgin-soil for Catholic missionary work. The only previous attempt at evangelization in Barotseland was unsuccessful. In 1881, the Jesuits had entered the territory and received permission from the local Paramount Chief but the presence of the Protestant missionary association, the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society ('Société des missions évangéliques de Paris'), disrupted their work in the district.

In 1931 three Irish Capuchins arrived in Livingstone with the intention of opening a new mission. Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. set about constructing a friary in Livingstone. Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. and Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap. (1905-1972) arrived in October 1931, with Fr. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. (1902-1979) and Fr. Seraphin Nesdale OFM Cap. coming in February 1932. Soon afterwards, the Capuchins began exploring the interior of Barotseland establishing a centre at Loanja, about one hundred and fifty kilometres north of Livingstone. The missionaries encountered many difficulties. There were no roads, and the friars travelled on foot or in canoes and on barges on the Zambezi River. Lions, leopards, and crocodiles posed some threat but more harmful to health were the smaller creatures such as tsetse flies and mosquitoes which carried a significant risk of malaria and other diseases. The friars also had to acquire knowledge of the local language of Lozi. Within two months of arriving at Loanja in 1932, the friars had built houses for themselves and their workers as well as a church and a school. These were simple structures with the walls supported by poles set into the ground interwoven with wattles and plastered with mud. The roofs were thatched. However, Loanja proved to be less than an ideal location as it was situated in a desert area and with a widely dispersed and small population. In 1936 the friars moved to Sichili. In the meantime, the friars worked diligently on acquiring an understanding of the local language and customs. The catechism was translated and printed in 1933 and this was followed by a translation of the New Testament. The influence of the Protestant missionary groups in the area continued to be a serious impediment as they laid to claim to vast swathes of the territory as their ‘sphere of influence’ to the definite exclusion of Catholic missionaries. Despite these difficulties, the Irish friars succeeded in opening a new mission station at Lukulu in December 1935.

In May 1936 Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap. was appointed the first Prefect Apostolic of Victoria Falls. Under his guidance, the provision of education and medical services became spearheads of mission development as new stations were opened at Mankoya (1938), Sihole (1943) and Katima Mulilo (1944) located in the Caprivi Strip in what was then South West Africa (now Namibia), and later at Malengwa (1947). A total of twenty-one Capuchin missions were established throughout Barotseland. Each friary, besides being a residence for the missionaries, acted as a base for outreach for evangelization and development in the surrounding districts. In March 1950 the Prefecture was raised to be the Vicariate Apostolic of Livingstone with Fr. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. consecrated as Vicar Apostolic in September 1950. In August 1959 the mission territory of the Vicariate of Livingstone was erected into the Diocese of Livingstone and the Most Rev. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. was installed as Bishop. He remained Bishop of Livingstone until the nomination of Monsignor Adrian Mung’andu (c.1920-2007) in 1974.

Additional mission stations were opened throughout the 1960s. Churches were built in each Boma or administrative centre, in Nalionwa (1960), Senanga (1966), Mongu (1966), Sesheke (1967) and at St. Conrad’s Friary in the capital, Lusaka. At this time the decolonization of Africa was continuing apace, and Zambia achieved independence from British rule in October 1964. Support for the Irish missionaries came in 1965 with the arrival of American friars from the New Jersey Capuchin Province. They were allocated the northern section of the Livingstone Diocese and they opened a new mission station at Kambompo (1966). This built upon the work of other religious congregations primarily in the fields of education and health care. The Holy Cross Sisters had worked in the country since 1936. This congregation was founded by a Swiss Capuchin priest, and the sisters devoted themselves to teaching and to the care of the sick (especially leprosy victims). An orphanage was opened in Sichili and later the sisters established secondary schools in Lukulu and in Malengwa. An emphasis was placed on the education of women and a female teacher-training college was also opened by the Holy Cross Sisters. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood arrived in 1946 and established a hospital in Kasaba. From the late 1940s, they worked alongside the Irish friars in running hospitals in Mangango, Sesheke and Chinyingi. In 1967 the Irish Christian Brothers took over the running of secondary schools in Katongo and in Livingstone. Many lay people (from Ireland and elsewhere) came to Zambia to work as teachers, nurses, doctors and development workers at the Capuchin mission stations.

The rapid progress in the building of schools, hospitals and health-care centres in these years was remarkable, since the colonial government had made little or no provision for such services. These developments were largely due to the generous financial support offered by the Capuchins in Europe and in North America and through public fund-raising efforts of Capuchin mission offices and lay associations. In 1974, a total of two hundred and twenty primary schools were handed over by the Diocese of Livingstone to the government, which hereafter had responsibility for their administration. The provision of assistance to Angolan refugees became a major focus of the work of the Irish Capuchins in Zambia in the 1980s. Fr. Benignus Buckley OFM Cap. was the principal co-ordinator at the Sioma mission dealing with the huge numbers of refugees fleeing the civil war in Angola who were accommodated in various camps in Namibia and in Zambia. While there was an emphasis on education and health care services in the Zambian mission, the friars also strove to promote their own Capuchin way-of-life. A major weakness was identified in the lack of local vocations. Ad-hoc efforts were made to promote vocations and develop a novitiate programme before the establishment in 1983 of the Franciscan House of Studies just outside Lusaka to provide training for men aspiring to become friars. In 1992 the Franciscan House of Studies became St. Bonaventure’s College, a formation centre for the Franciscan Orders. In July 2007 a dedicated Capuchin novitiate was opened at Camerino near Lusaka.

Over one hundred Irish friars and nearly twenty American Capuchins have ministered in Zambia since the start of missionary work in the country. The numbers peaked in the late 1960s when there were sixty-two missionary friars in the country. Today, in the territory originally assigned to the Irish Capuchins, eighteen different religious congregations have a presence. There are approximately thirty-one parishes with various apostolic groups responding to the many spiritual and social needs of the local populace. Working alongside members of other religious congregations and lay professionals, the friars have had an immeasurable impact on the lives of many impoverished Zambians. The Capuchin Custody of Zambia remains under the jurisdiction of the Irish Capuchin Province. Irish friars are still working and ministering in Zambian continuing an unbroken ninety-year record of service on the continent.

Collection Content

The African mission collection in the Irish Capuchin Archives includes correspondence, visitation records, financial reports, diaries and journals, oral histories, publications, newspaper clippings and photographs (in albums, loose files and born-digital format) relating to the many years of Irish Capuchin missionary activity on the African continent. The collection comprises material sent back to the Irish Province and to the Capuchin Foreign Mission Office by Irish Capuchins in Africa from the 1930s onward. The papers chronicle the life and work of the Irish Capuchins since their arrival in South Africa in 1929 and in what was then known as Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) in 1931. The files of correspondence between the missionary friars and their Provincial Ministers in Ireland illustrate the areas or spheres in which they laboured: parish work, education, health-care, social development and evangelization. Geographically, this work took place primarily in Cape Town, South Africa, and in Barotseland, later the western province of Zambia. The records reflect the impact of the Irish Capuchin missionary presence particularly in the building and management of parishes, and in the fields of education, health-care provision, and socio-economic development.

'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.

Church Street, one of the oldest thoroughfares on the north side of Dublin, has long been identified with the Capuchin Franciscans. For many years the friars have been known as the ‘Church Street Fathers’. Yet Church Street was not the location of their first residence in Dublin. The first Capuchin friars arrived in Dublin in 1615. At first, they settled on the south side of the city near Thomas Street, before moving to Bridge Street in about 1632, and later still to a house not far from Saint Audeon’s Arch. Fr. Christopher Kearney OSFC (d. 1656), in remarks on the progress of the Irish Capuchin mission, explained how ‘in the beginning, from the year 1615 to 1624, when they were very few, the friars lived in ones and twos in the houses of other people, not as a regular community; but then as numbers increased they established communities … in buildings either newly erected, or rented, and adapted for religious use and as chapels in which they maintained regular observance until the year 1651’. Fr. Edward Bath OSFC (d. 1634) was appointed the superior of the first Capuchin house in Dublin. Fr. Robert O’Connell OSFC (c.1623-1678) in his 'Historia Missionis Hiberniae Fratrum Minorum Capucinorum' (c.1654) described the first residence of the friars as small and poor, consisting of a few cells, a little garden, and a small chapel. Fr. Christopher Kearney OSFC remarked that ‘some of the Capuchins went among the people, at other times people flocked to the Capuchins at home. They were accustomed to preach in both English and Irish. … In their own churches, and when preaching elsewhere, they were zealous in opposing heretics and in comforting Catholics by the administration of the sacraments’. In 1629 the first residence of the friars in Dublin was confiscated with the house handed over to Trinity College. It was converted into a residential hall and given the name ‘St. Stephen’s Hall’.

The friars were dispersed and for a time they continued their work in the countryside until securing a small rented house in 1632. Fr. Nicholas Archbold OSFC (1589-1650) in his 'Historie of the Irish Capucins' (1643) confirms that by 1642 the Capuchins were resident on Bridge Street in a ‘secular man’s house and mansion: wee had the forpart of it: which stood on the street’. At this time the ‘religious and priests enjoyed peaceably the publick use of their chapells’ and the Capuchins had use of a well-furnished chapel in which they celebrated Mass every day in the religious habit. Soon afterwards, however, the authorities moved to seize churches and religious houses in Dublin, including that of the Capuchins – ‘entering violently in the Chapells they laid hands on all they could find, subverted the Altars, tore and broke and trampled under foot and burnt the sacred pictures and turned ye Chappels into Courts of Guard’. After the destruction of their house and the exile of many priests, the remaining friars ministered in the countryside until they had an opportunity of returning to Dublin. However, the prospects for re-establishing regular community life seemed remote. In June 1653 an edict was passed reviving the Elizabethan statute proscribing the exercise of the Catholic religion and ordering the exile of all priests. As a consequence, for many years, there was no trace of any settled community life for the Capuchins in Dublin.

Individual friars continued to be engaged (albeit furtively) in ministry in Dublin. There are indications in 1667 that a Capuchin chapel existed in the city. Lady Ursula Moore, in her will dated 2 October 1667, bequeathed a silver chalice to her son Thomas Whyte, a Capuchin friar, and arranged that the interest on a sum of money ‘shall pay the rent of the Capucins’ Chappell in Dublin’. In 1671 Fr. Luke Nugent OSFC, Commissary General, reported that the Capuchins had re-established a hospice in Dublin but no indication was given as to the site of their restored residence in the city. With the accession of King James II in 1685 religious liberties were restored to Catholics and churches were repaired and rebuilt. In about 1689 the Capuchins built what must have been a fairly substantial residence near Saint Audeon’s Arch. The friary had a community of twenty-four religious who led a full conventual life as well as engaging in active ministry. The Capuchins resided in this house for only two years before it was suppressed in the wake of the Williamite victory in the 1690s. Up to this period the Capuchins had been living on the south side of the River Liffey. A report written by Fr. Lawrence Dowdall OSFC in 1701 suggests that after the suppression of the friary near Saint Audeon’s Arch, the friars ministered in a ‘rented chapel’. There is evidence to suggest that this chapel was situated on Church Street. Information sworn by a Margaret Meehan on 3 May 1691 against Fr. Innocent Weldon OSFC (d. 1707) for being a Popish priest states ‘we heard him preach in ye Popish Masshouses in Church Street and on Channel Row [later North Brunswick Street]’. In 1697 it was noted that Fr. Lawrence Dowdall OSFC was ‘lodgeing att Matthais Burgesses in Church Street’. It seems certain that the Capuchins settled in Church Street soon after their residence near Saint Audeon’s Arch was suppressed.

'A Report of the Roman Catholic Chapels in Dublin' (1749) noted that the Church Street Chapel ‘was fitted up in the year 1720, for the use of the Capuchin friars (who in the reign of King James II lived at St. Audeon’s Arch) by Father Joseph Evers, Superior of the Order’. It was also claimed that this chapel was located in the house of a Mr. Clements. This reference to a Mr. Clements is of particular importance as it suggests that the chapel that existed in 1720 occupied the same site as the present-day Church of St. Mary of the Angels. In the lease of the site of St. Mary of the Angels made on 4 August 1826 by the Earl of Longford and Viscount de Vesci to Fr. Bonaventure Delaney OSFC (d. 1841), it is mentioned that the property being leased had formerly been in the possession of James Topham and later in the tenancy of Robert Clements ‘on which a Roman Catholic Chapel had been built’. (see CA CS/2/2/1/2). The chapel referred to in the lease is an older building as the present-day St. Mary of the Angels had not been built in 1826. The site of this original Capuchin chapel on Church Street was Roscommon House which stood on the street to the front of the modern-day church. This first chapel was extensively repaired in 1736 by Fr. Alexius Dowdall OSFC (d. 1738). It was described in 1749 ‘as small and neat and the altar decent. The altarpiece is a Crucifixion, though formerly it was a painting of our Saviour taken down from the Cross. … There is a gallery which serves as a choir with a vestry but no confessionals’. This original chapel was taken down in 1796 and a slightly larger one was built on the same site (see CA CS/7/1). In 1831 it was remarked that the ‘Church Street chapel is situated on the west side of the street and not far from St. Michan’s [Anglican] Church … the building itself offers no remarkable features. This structure was for a long period in a state of dilapidation until the manly eloquence of Rev. [Michael Bernard] Keogh [1788-1831], a friar of the Capuchin Order, influenced the wealthy part of his hearers … to contribute largely to the restoration of this edifice’. The fact that this chapel was extensively damaged by the Great Storm of January 1839 (also known as the ‘Night of the Big Wind’) may have given additional impetus to build a new church. At any rate, it was clear that the friars were finding their chapel inadequate and were considering building a larger church as well as a friary for the religious.

The foundation stone of the present-day St. Mary of the Angels was laid by Archbishop Paul Cullen in 1868. (see CA CS/7/2). The church was built in sections, the sanctuary being built first. A significant portion of the church was built by direct labour, without a contractor, but with a clerk of works supervising the tradesmen in carrying out the instructions of the architect, James Joseph McCarthy (1817-1882). A contracting firm was later employed to complete the undertaking. This, together with the lack of funds, probably explains why the construction work took so long. The façade was not completed until 1882. The church was solemnly dedicated by Cardinal Edward McCabe on 4 October 1882. While all this was in progress, more ground space became available which allowed for the building of a new friary at the rear of St. Mary of the Angels. Although plans for the friary were drawn up as early as 1875, the building was not finished until 1883. The Capuchin community subsequently left their residences on North King Street and moved to the purpose-built friary on Church Street where they have remained ever since.

Collection Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the Capuchin community in Dublin and in particular to the foundation known as St. Mary of the Angels situated on Church Street. The fonds includes legal records relating to the acquisition, transfer and disposal of church property (such as deeds of title, mortgages and bills of sale), financial records, and material relating to individual members of Capuchin communities in Dublin. The collection includes a large number of administrative and community files, financial statements and books of account relating to building construction and structural alterations, correspondence, plans, publicity material, photographs, and miscellaneous items of commemorative ephemera connected with Capuchin ministries and apostolates in Dublin. The collection also includes unpublished historical writings and biographical material relating to notable members of the Capuchin Order who ministered in Dublin. The fonds also includes records relating to the lay religious sodality known as the Third Order of St. Francis (now the Secular Franciscan Order) attached to the Capuchin church in the city.

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.

Margaret Brady was born in Dublin on 12 February 1857. She worked in a stationer’s shop until she married James Pearse, an English stonemason and sculptor, on 24 October 1877. The couple had four children: Margaret Mary, Patrick, William, and Mary Brigid. Of firmly held nationalist opinions, Margaret imbued her children with similar beliefs. In 1908 she joined her sons at Scoil Éanna, taking charge of domestic arrangements at the school. Margaret supported her sons’ political beliefs. Following their executions in 1916, she expressed her wish to maintain their legacy and became involved in political life. Elected to Dáil Éireann as a Sinn Féin TD in 1921, she strongly opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty and left the Dáil following its ratification. She would later join Fianna Fáil as a founding member in 1926. She died on 22 April 1932, at the age of 75, and was honoured with a state funeral. The collection includes mostly personal correspondence, photographs, nationalist ephemera, and material relating to her role in the management of St. Enda’s School.