A very large collection of metal stereotypes and photoengraving plates (most of which are mounted on wooden blocks) used for printing purposes for 'The Capuchin Annual'. Photoengraving was a process used in preparing illustrations for printing by transferring images to metal plates by a combination of photography and acid etching. Photoengraving was widely used in making plates for various printing processes, reproducing a wide variety of graphics such as lettering, line drawings and photographs. A stereotype consisted of engravings from a drawing or from an illustration. If required, duplicate stereotypes could be set beside text composed on a linotype machine and headings in hand-set type. Photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were frequently mass-produced for advertisements and were sent to various printers, newspapers and publishers. These photoengraving plates and stereotype blocks were transferred (many still extant in filing cabinets) to archival storage following the closure of the Capuchin Publications Office in 1977. Many of the plates and blocks are numbered but only a few have identifying captions or annotations.
The subseries comprises a large collection of bound volumes containing photographic material, newspaper and magazine clippings, original historical records and ephemera compiled by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap., the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’. The content of the volumes is extremely varied and, in many instances, includes rare original records reflecting Moynihan’s interest in Irish history, and particularly the revolutionary period. Some of the material complements content published in ‘The Capuchin Annual’ with several of the original photographs reproduced in various editions of the periodical. Other content (especially the clippings) is suggestive of Moynihan’s eclectic interest in Irish church history, Franciscan history, antiquities, literature, Gaelic culture, historiography, and the contemporary political and economic situation in Ireland especially during the Second World War.
The sub-series comprises a collection of publicity material relating to primarily to Sinn Féin victories in parliamentary by-elections in 1917. The sub-series also includes election fliers from the trade union and labour movement.
Fr. Dominic O’Connor OFM Cap. served as chaplain to Terence MacSwiney and the Cork Brigade of the IRA. He ministered to the Lord Mayor of Cork during his imprisonment in Brixton Prison. The sub-series includes some correspondence associated with MacSwiney’s political career which may have been acquired by Fr. Dominic during the performance of his duties. Of particular interest is a collection of correspondence from notable figures in the republican administration including Richard Mulcahy, Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Seán T. O’Kelly.
On the evening of 2 September 1913 two overcrowded tenement buildings at 66 and 67 Church Street collapsed. The two buildings were situated opposite the Capuchin Friary on the street. Of those trapped in the buildings, seven died (including three children) and many others were left seriously injured. Over 100 people were left homeless and destitute. The tragedy, occurring at a time of heightened political and labour unrest, highlighted the dreadful conditions of many of the buildings in Dublin, both in terms of the physical fabric of the dwellings and the endemic overcrowding in inner city tenements. A report on the disaster was presented to the British Parliament in February 1914, but with the outbreak of war in the summer of that year housing conditions in Irish capital ceased to be a political priority.
