Minutes of Committee Meetings regarding the new Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin. The minutes appear to have been compiled by Fr. Daniel Patrick O’Reilly OSFC. The first meeting was held on 20 July 1861 ‘for the purpose of collecting funds for the erection of the church at which the Rt. Hon. Sir William Carroll [1819-1870] MD, Lord Mayor of Dublin, took the chair …’. The opening meeting referred to the ‘poverty of the location in which they [the Capuchins] have chosen with the spirit of their founder the Seraphic St. Francis … to erect a temple worthy of Catholicity …’. The minutes of the meetings mainly refer to efforts to secure funding for financing the construction of the new church. Statements of expenditure are included in some of the minutes.
O’Reilly, Daniel Patrick, 1831-1894, Capuchin priest
Expense journal of William Woodlock, 13 Hardwicke Place, Dublin. A manuscript annotation on the title page gives the date 13 August 1863. A note on the first page by William Woodlock reads ‘1863 / Kate [his sister] left Dublin, August 11, (Tuesday) for Bruges. Joseph [his brother] left Dublin, Thursday, August 13 for Cork, on his way to Australia … Am now left alone, and open a new account. W[illiam] W[oodlock]’. An additional note at the bottom of the opening page reads ‘Joseph sailed from Queenstown for Brisbane, Queensland, in the “Fiery Star”, Wednesday, August 19, 1863’. The remainder of the volume contains entries for routine expenditures including washing, cigars, stamps, and stationary.
Albumen cabinet card images of the exterior and interior of the old Capuchin chapel on Church Street. These are photographs of the chapel constructed in 1796. The building consisted of a nave with two short transepts. The main entrance to the chapel was from Bow Street which was then a busy thoroughfare near Smithfield Market. The foundation stone for the present-day St. Mary of the Angels (which was built on the site of the old Chapel) was laid on 12 June 1868. With a cover annotated by Fr. Angelus Healy OFM Cap.: ‘Photos of old Capuchin Church, Church St., exterior and interior’. Original albumen cabinet card images by Chancellor Studios, 55 Lower Sackville Street, Dublin. The file includes later (and over-sized) reproductions of these prints by E. Brook-Smith, 140 Stephen’s Green, Dublin. It appears that Brook-Smith had a studio at this location from c.1909-19.
Proposed design for the completion of Holy Trinity Church, Cork by Edward Welby Pugin (1834-1875) and George Coppinger Ashlin (1837-1921). Print by J. Lewis, 29 Dame Street, Dublin. With a typescript note possibly by Fr. Angelus Healy OFM Cap. referring to the provenance of the proposed design. The note affirms that in June 1877 Ashlin had ‘been employed by Fr. Thomas, Superior of Cork, to examine the foundations of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Cork, with a view to completing the front of the Church, and erecting a Tower. … The proposed design shows portions of the Friary at both sides of the Church’. This proposal did not materialize, and the completion of the Church façade, and the erection of the spire was not done until the celebration of the centenary of the birth of Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC in 1890.
Two plates showing showing studio portraits of Fr. Charles. This is probably Fr. Charles of Mantua OFM Cap. (d. 18 Dec. 1879). The images show Fr. Charles sitting at a writing table. With a print of one of the images (a carte de visite from Callaghan Photographer, 45 South Mall, Cork). With an annotated cover.
Expenses account of James Joseph O’Kelly. An accompanying note is endorsed ‘account for arms / £206 / expenses to Dublin’. Both the note and the one-page expenses account are endorsed ‘EE 7205’. The expenses relate to O’Kelly’s travel from France to Dublin.
A volume containing entries compiled by Fr. Patrick Sheehan seemingly covering the years 1874 to 1875. The dated chronicles are titled ‘A leaf from a life’. The diary-like entries are mostly routine providing a record of religious observance and meetings with various clergymen, religious, and lay individuals particularly in the Cloyne diocese in County Cork. The opening pages have been ripped from the volume and the first dated entry reads ‘Sept. 1. 1874. As usual, Met C.B. accompanied him home. Visited the original pepper in company Frs. Field & O’Keeffe’. Some literary content, personal reflections, and references are included in the text. Loose expense accounts are inserted towards the end of the volume. The entries in these accounts include ‘charity list’, rail and travel expenses, tailoring, stationary and other forms of routine expenditure.
Flier from Anthony Traill to the electors of the University of Dublin (Trinity College). Trail affirms that he ‘shall the Church of Ireland from the misrepresentations of those who seem anxious to make further raids upon the property of the Representative Church Body, by careful financial management, has succeeded in accumulating’. He confirms that in politics he has ‘always been a Conservative’. The file includes a list of committee members supporting Trail’s candidacy.
Flier for a Grand Bazaar to raise funds for the completion of the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin. The prizes included: ‘30 fat sheep or £100 (1st); pony and phaeton or 50 guineas (2nd); Kerry cow’ (3rd); Diamond ring’ (4th); magnificent medallion, pure gold’ (5th); splendid Harp by Egan’ (6th).
The file also includes a flier for the ‘Lottery for the Marble Pulpit exhibited by the Operative Stonecutters’ Trade Association’, 1 May 1886 and a blank authorisation card for collectors for funds to pay off ‘the heavy debt on this Church and New Convent which is giving the Fathers much anxiety’. The card is authorised by Fr. Albert Mitchell OSFC. Another flier notes that ‘the new Church, which is now nearly completed, but over six thousand pounds in debt, is to be in every way worthy of being the temple of the Living God’. Reference is also made to the previous Capuchin chapel on the site: ‘The inhabitants of the neighbourhood are of the poorest class … at the ceremonies of religion in the old humble Church … the attendance of one thousand weekly attests the virtue of these poor Irish Catholics’. With a newspaper clipping from the 'Irish Press' referring to the discovery of a book of tickets for the said Grand Bazaar draw by Patrick Fitzsimons. The 'Irish Press' clipping is dated 20 October 1949.
Assignment of Michael Murphy, 24 Bow Street, to John Cunningham, 44 Bow Street, of no. 24 Bow Street in consideration ‘of he putting said premises in repair, and he allowing me two shillings and 6d per week during my life’. With a conveyance (24 May 1887) from John Cunningham to Fr. Nicholas Murphy OSFC and other Capuchin friars, Church Street, of the said premises in consideration of the sum of £50. This deed has a small sketch map of the property. With receipts for the aforementioned payments and notices for payments in respect of municipal rates on the said premises. (See CA CS/2/2/7/10).
