James McKenna (d. 1846) played a key role in the founding of the Cork Total Abstinence Society (CTAS) in 1838. He also acted as Fr. Mathew’s principal travelling secretary during the early years of his campaign. McKenna made extensive efforts to publicise the movement through newspaper advertising, the printing of posters, pamphlets and handbills but the most comprehensive expression of his temperance philosophy is preserved in his manuscript history of the movement. McKenna kept his voluminous records of the CTAS’s progress in his 'History of the Temperance Reformation in Ireland, England and Scotland by James McKenna, Chief Travelling and Confidential Secretary to the Very Reverend Theobald Mathew'. This eclectic, meticulously hand-written collection of hundreds of outsized pages of transcribed material was woven together in McKenna’s own strident presentation. The text recorded very many of the activities connected Fr. Mathew’s temperance campaign from 1838 to 1846. McKenna intended to publish his account, as the definitive, triumphal and popular history of what seemed like a permanent social revolution. McKenna’s sudden death (in Cork in 1846), and the temperance crusade’s rapid retreat, likely combined to prevent the manuscript’s publication. Although of dubious literary merit, McKenna’s manuscript represents an extremely important source for Fr. Mathew’s temperance crusade. The text is preserved in the Irish Capuchin Archives.
The series includes mostly copies of contemporary letters and documents relating to Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC and his temperance campaign. Most of the transcriptions of original source material in this series are undated but it can be surmised that they were compiled in the early decades of the twentieth century. Note that the date element refers to the original date of creation of the document or the time-period to which the research pertains. The original material is for the most part described in separate files.
The series contains records compiled mainly by Capuchin friars relating to the history of the locality around Ard Mhuire Friary including material on the previous owners of Ards House in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Much of this historical research was amassed by Fr. David Kelleher OFM Cap. (1912-1995) who spent nearly sixty years of his ministry as a Capuchin friar in County Donegal.
The series contains newspaper and magazine clippings relating to the history of the Capuchin friars in Donegal and to their residence at Ard Mhuire Friary.
The section includes photographic images of both the old Ard Mhuire Friary (formerly Ards House, the seat of the Stewart-Bam family) and the present-day Friary and House of Studies (now a retreat and conference centre) built on the same site in the 1960s. There are also images of Capuchin friars who resided at Ard Mhuire and prints of the surrounding towns, scenic landscapes and sites of historical and religious significance.
The series includes records relating to the use of Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary as a retreat centre in the diocese of Raphoe. The section includes material pertaining to retreats given to both the diocesan clergy and other religious as well as lay people, parish communities and school groups.
This section includes files relating to the Capuchin community resident in Ard Mhuire Friary. The series includes records relating to various aspects of their religious life, to their ministries and their interactions with the clergy of the diocese of Raphoe and with various lay fraternities and associations.
This section includes legal records relating to the management of properties at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary. The series also includes papers relating to the construction, renovation and repair history of Ards Friary and the Capuchin House of Studies. A sub-series includes correspondence, architectural plans, and financial records relating to the construction of a new friary and theological seminary on the existing Ard Mhuire site in the 1960s.
The series contains documents relating to the sale of Ards House and its 2,000-acre estate by the Stewart-Bam family. The estate was acquired by the Irish Land Commission in 1926. The Capuchin Franciscans purchased Ards House and a portion of its demesne in 1930 and converted it for use as a friary and theological seminary.
