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Margaret Mary Pearse was a teacher, Irish language activist, and politician. She was born in Dublin on 4 August 1878, the eldest child of James Pearse and Margaret Pearse (née Brady). Margaret Mary worked with her brothers Patrick and William to found St. Enda’s School (Scoil Éanna) in Cullenswood House in Ranelagh, Dublin, in 1908. Following the deaths of her brothers in 1916, she took over the management of the school. Scoil Éanna continued until 1935 when financial troubles forced its closure. In public life, she was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Dublin County constituency at the 1933 general election. She subsequently served as a senator in Seanad Éireann (the upper house of the of the Oireachtas) from 1938 to 1968. Margaret Mary Pearse shared her brother’s cultural and political vision for Ireland and devoted much of her life to upholding Patrick’s legacy. She lived out her life in St. Enda’s, but was never completely free from financial difficulties. She died on 7 November 1968 and, following the wishes of her mother, bequeathed Scoil Éanna to the Irish state. The collection comprises mostly personal papers including correspondence, photographs, and ephemera. Many of the records relate to her role in the management of Scoil Éanna, her interest in education, and to her efforts to perpetuate the memory of the role played by her family in the revolutionary period.

James Pearse was born in London on 8 December 1839. A gifted sculptor, he came to Ireland in about 1860. In the early 1870s he formed a partnership with Patrick J. O’Neill specialising in monumental works which had its workshop on Great Brunswick Street (now Pearse Street) in Dublin. This partnership was dissolved in about 1878. Between 1880 and 1891 Pearse worked in partnership with his foreman Edward Sharp (who was also from England). Following the dissolution of this partnership, Pearse ran his own monumental sculpture business in the Irish capital. Pearse married twice. By his second wife, Margaret Brady, whom he married in October 1877, he had two daughters and two sons. Pearse was largely self-educated. As a bibliophile, he was an avid reader and embraced rationalist thinking and scientific method. Although Pearse was nominally a Catholic (he converted to the religion in about 1869), evidence suggests that he was an atheist. He was an avid supporter of the radical English politician and atheist propagandist Charles Bradlaugh (1833-1891) and wrote several tracts for various secularist publications under the pseudonym ‘Humanitas’. Influenced by the strongly nationalist opinions of his wife, Pearse was also a supporter of Irish Home Rule. He died suddenly on 5 September 1900 in Birmingham while on a visit to relations. After his death, the family business was carried on for a few years under the name James Pearse & Sons by his younger son, the sculptor William Pearse (1881-1916), with some help from his elder son, Patrick Pearse (1879-1916). Both were executed for their part in the 1916 Rising. The collection includes correspondence (including letters to James Pearse from Charles Bradlaugh, Annie Besant and other prominent secularist and atheist activists) and financial and photographic records relating to his monumental sculpture business.

Although the Capuchins arrived in Cork as early as 1637 it was many years before they took up residence on the site now known as Holy Trinity Church and Friary. The first Capuchin friars in Cork initially resided on the southern side of the city, just outside the South Gate. The religious upheavals of the seventeenth century occasioned many hardships for the friars who lived in constant fear of arrest and banishment. By the early eighteenth century the Capuchins appear to have established a permanent apostolate in the South Parish and by 1741 had built a small Friary on Blackamoor Lane situated just behind O’Sullivan’s Quay. In 1771 the community was augmented by the arrival from France of Fr. Arthur O’Leary OSFC (1729-1802). A native of West Cork, he joined the Capuchin Order on the continent and was ordained in St. Malo in 1758. O’Leary was responsible for the building of the small chapel on Blackamoor Lane which subsequently became known as the ‘South Friary’. During the first half of the nineteenth century Cork underwent a rapid expansion in both geographical size and population growth. It soon became apparent that the Friary on Blackamoor Lane was not sufficient to meet the demands of a growing congregation. By the mid-1820s, Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856), Provincial Minister of the Irish Capuchins and guardian (local superior) of the Cork community, decided to build a larger church in a more convenient location. Rejecting a site on O’Sullivan’s Quay, a location on Charlotte Quay (now Father Mathew Quay) below Parliament Bridge was eventually acquired. This area was then a busy a trading and shipping centre with many provisioning merchants, artisans and traders having offices and stores on the quayside. As the city expanded, the emerging Catholic business class sought to assert its power in social and public life. This self-confidence was reflected in the grandiose, perpendicular Gothic design for the new Capuchin church which was submitted by the well-known Cork-based architect George Pain (1793-1838).

Work commenced on the church in October 1832 but almost immediately the project ran into difficulties. The marshy site selected for the building soon became waterlogged and an additional £1,600 was required for the purchase of steam pumps. Afterwards, a lawsuit was filed by George Pain for the payment of an additional £300. In addition, the builder Thomas Anthony, who claimed to have taken the contract at too low a figure, went out of business. The firm of Sir Thomas Deane (1792-1871) & Company completed the church (excepting the steeple) with Thomas Coakley acting as supervising architect following George Pain’s death in 1838. The interior of the church was completed by William Atkins (1811-1887). Theobald Mathew’s preoccupation with the nationwide temperance campaign, the onset of the Great Famine and a lack of financial resources were also contributory factors in delaying the completion of the church. Although the building opened for religious services on 10 October 1850, it remained without a tower and ornamental façade for many years. Money was subsequently collected by the local guardian, Fr. Louis (John) O’Connell OSFC, but the sum was not sufficient to finance the completion of the church. It was not until the centenary celebrations of Theobald Mathew’s birth (1890) that sufficient funds were raised to finish the construction of the building. The church was completed to the design of the local architect Dominick J. Coakley (d. 1914). Although Coakley reduced the size of the spire, the building is largely as George Pain originally designed it. By 1884 the Capuchin friars had also managed to build a Friary adjoining Holy Trinity Church, having previously resided in a house situated at the corner of Queen Street and Charlotte Quay. The Friary building was designed by Robert Walker (c.1835-1910).

In the following years further ornamentation and building work enhanced the church interior. A special bell, replacing one erected sixteen year earlier, was blessed after Mass on 26 April 1896. It was the gift of H. O’Donovan. A memorial to Fr. Bernard Jennings OSFC (1850-1904) in the form of an expansion to the church was undertaken by a special committee formed for that purpose in 1906. This expansion was built upon property which the community had acquired situated to the rear of Holy Trinity Church. Foundation trenches had to be sunk to a depth of twenty feet below street level before construction work could commence. The High Altar, over which a memorial window for Daniel O’Connell had been erected, and two adjoining side altars, were taken down and replaced in the new extension. Shortly after this work was completed the sanctuary was extended, eventually opening in April 1908. A memorial window by Harry Clarke (1889-1931), the renowned stained-glass artist, was erected in 1918 by Cork trade unionists in recognition of the services rendered by Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951) in improving conditions for the city’s workers. In the late 1970s Fr. Eustace McSweeney OFM Cap., guardian, initiated plans to bring the interior of the church more into line with the liturgical requirements set down in the Second Vatican Council. It also became clear that the physical fabric of the building required extensive renovation work. A survey undertaken by Brian Wain & Associates, architects, discovered serious structural defects including dry rot infestation, damage caused by the ingress of water into roofing spaces and extensive corrosive damage to the steeple. As a result, a major project of reconstruction was begun in January 1982. This renovation work was largely completed within a year and the church was reopened for public worship in November 1982.

Collection Content

The collection consists of records relating to the Capuchin community in Cork city and in particular to the foundation known as Holy Trinity Church and Friary situated on Father Mathew Quay (formerly known as Charlotte Quay). The majority of the material dates from the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. 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 the Capuchin community in Cork. 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 ephemera connected with Capuchin ministries and apostolates in Cork. The collection also includes unpublished historical writings and biographical material relating to notable members of the Order who ministered in the city. The collection also includes records and registers relating to the Third Order of St. Francis (now the Secular Franciscan Order) and other sodalities and confraternities attached to Holy Trinity Church.

Father Mathew Memorial Hall, Dublin

Father Mathew Hall stands at the corner of Church Street and Nicholas Avenue not far from Smithfield in Dublin’s north inner city. The origins of the Hall can be traced to the establishment by Fr. Albert Mitchell OSFC (1831-1893) in 1880 of a lay sodality called the ‘Temperance Society of the Sacred Thirst of Our Lord Jesus Christ’. In 1881, meeting rooms were secured for the sodality at 3 Halston Street. The lease for the building was signed on 31 January 1881. The building, although in a dilapidated state, was put into enough order for it to open within a fortnight. The first meeting of the temperance sodality took place in the Halston Street Hall on 14 February 1881. At this time, sodality and religious confraternity membership was increasing all over the country in line with participation in all forms of lay piety such as in rosary, retreat and novena groups. The rapid expansion of membership of the Halston Street Temperance Sodality was emblematic of this period of devotional fervour. Fr. Columbus Maher OSFC (1835-1894) assumed the role of President of the temperance sodality in June 1883. Fr. Columbus undertook the formidable task of resuscitating the entire temperance movement and transforming it once more into a populist working-class crusade. Largely because of his efforts, membership of the Hall rose to over a thousand in both the male and female branches of the sodality. It soon became clear that the Halston Street Hall was inadequate to accommodate the increasing numbers. With the centenary of Fr. Theobald Mathew’s birth approaching in 1890, Fr. Columbus and the sodality committee decided to conduct a search for more suitable premises to meet the growing membership demands and to perpetuate the memory of Father Mathew as the ‘Apostle of Temperance’. Eventually, the committee secured the above-mentioned site on Church Street. The foundation stone of the building was laid by the Most Revered William Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin, on 2 February 1890. It was designed by Walter Glynn Doolin (1850-1902). The Hall was formally opened on 25 January 1891. The total cost of the building was £4,000 to which was added another £2,000 in furnishings. The Hall quickly became a focal point for the local community as membership of the temperance sodality increased to almost two thousand members. Complementing the temperance function of the Hall were other social, cultural, and pastoral activities. Lectures, dramatic entertainments, pantomimes and sports events were organised by the sodality membership. Other activities included billiards, badminton, a drama group (the Father Mathew Players), a reading library and a cycling club.

Fr. Nicholas Murphy OSFC (1849-1923), appointed Sodality President in 1895, extended the Hall in 1901 with the addition of a new wing known as St. Brigid’s Hall. In 1905, further impetus was given to the entire temperance movement by the invitation offered by the Irish Bishops to the Capuchin Franciscans to undertake a ‘national crusade’ against the evils of intoxicating liquor. Fr. Aloysius Travers OSFC (1870-1957) extended the main auditorium of the Hall, inserted a new stage and erected an elaborate proscenium arch decorated with Celtic Revival motifs. A new library for sodality members was opened in the Hall in April 1908 by Fr. Peter Bowe OSFC (1856-1926), Provincial Minister. The Church Street Hall was regularly frequented by those interested in promoting the Gaelic cultural revival including Pádraig Pearse who urged ‘closer co-operation between the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge) and the Temperance movement in the cause that is common to both … the regeneration of Ireland’ ('Father Mathew Record', May 1908, p. 76). Ownership of the Hall was vested in several elected trustees who represented the members of the temperance sodality. A Capuchin friar was always appointed President. The day-to-day management of the Hall was entrusted to a committee which was selected at an annual general meeting. During the 1916 Rising, Father Mathew Hall was used a field hospital by the Irish Volunteers who had occupied the nearby Four Courts. Capuchin friars gave shelter to wounded citizens, military and rebels, who were tended to by members of Cumann na mBan.

An annual Feis Ceoil competition ('Feis an t-Athair Maitiú') was founded by Fr. Aloysius Travers OSFC in 1909. The initial syllabus included competitions divided between singing, instrumental performances, Irish dancing and artistic creation. Among the first adjudicators at the competition were Sinéad Ní Fhlannagáin (1878-1975), later the wife of Éamon de Valera, and the Sinn Féin politician, Brian O’Higgins (1882-1963). The Feis was an immediate success and attracted nearly two thousand entrants. Encouraged by this initial success more competitions were added to the Feis programme in subsequent years with the avowed aim of preserving native language and culture. In addition, various Dublin-based theatre companies used the Hall for their productions and several fund-raising concerts and drama festivals were held. In 1962, weekly bingo sessions were started, initially in the St. Brigid’s annex, and later in the main auditorium. To facilitate improvements to the Hall, the ownership of the building was formally transferred to the Capuchin Order in the late 1960s. Although these renovations succeeded in creating a relatively modern purpose-built theatre, by the early 1970s the membership of the temperance sodality had dwindled. As a result, the activities of the various temperance societies associated with the Hall came to an end. However, the Feis Maitiú continued to act as a focal point for the promotion of Irish culture and music.

In the absence of any state funding or assistance, the Capuchins maintained sole responsibility for staging the annual Feis competition. The only source for financing the Feis remained entrants’ fees and funding obtained from corporate sponsorship. By the mid-1990s, the costs associated with organising the Feis competition had become prohibitive. Further renovation work was also required if the Hall was to be maintained as a public amenity. In 1998 the decision was made to sell Father Mathew Hall and to discontinue the Order’s direct association with the Feis. In 2001 the Hall was sold by tender to Harry Crosbie, a property developer who converted the building into corporate office suites. As a listed building, the Hall’s interior Celtic Revival plaster-work was preserved, and other external architectural features were restored. The property remained vacant for some years before its purchase in 2014. The building is currently (2021) occupied by Newcourt Retirement Fund Managers Limited (NRFM).

Father Mathew Hall, Cork

Like its counterpart in Dublin, Father Mathew Hall in Cork originally functioned as a meeting place for the local Total Abstinence Sodality attached to Holy Trinity (Capuchin) Church. In 1896, it was noted that the sodality had over three hundred male members. On 30 January 1907, a Hall was opened on what was then Queen Street (later renamed Father Mathew Street). The Hall served as an amenity centre for the local community with a billiard room, a card room, a reading room, and a lecture theatre where occasional plays and talks were held. Major refurbishment work was undertaken in the 1940s during the presidency of Fr. Matthew Flynn OFM Cap. with the installation of new theatre seating, a balcony and improved stage facilities. The destruction by fire of the old Cork Opera House in 1955 left Father Mathew Hall as the only regular theatre venue in the city. Companies such as the Southern Theatre Group and Carol Clopet Productions subsequently signed fixed tenancies in the Hall. The reopening of Cork’s Opera House in 1965 prefigured a decline in the Hall’s fortunes but the commencement of bingo sessions offset some of the financial losses. The Everyman Playhouse Group took up a licence on the auditorium in the early 1970s and their renovation of the Hall ensured the continued survival of the building as a functioning theatre.

'Feis Maitiú Corcaigh' was established in 1927 by Fr. Micheál Ó Sé OFM Cap. (1892-1958) who saw the need for a platform to help and encourage people interested in the performing arts. Cork’s inaugural Feis ran for four days with about 300 competitors taking part. Father Mathew Hall was chosen as the venue for the Feis. The 400-seat auditorium has continued to serve as the festival’s venue ever since. Fr. Micheál served as President of the Feis for twelve years. During Fr. Matthew Flynn’s tenure as President, the first Cork Drama Festival was launched by the then Lord Mayor of Cork, Michael Sheehan. This festival, which has since ceased, was hosted at Father Mathew Hall, and ran for a fortnight under the adjudication of Ria Mooney (1903-1973), the Principal of the Gaiety Theatre School of Acting. By 1985 there were almost 12,000 performers registering with the Feis Maitiú Corcaigh. The festival was subsequently extended to eight weeks with classes in a range of disciplines covering a broad spectrum of the arts. The Feis continues to operate under the patronage of the Capuchin Order but the day-to-day management of the programme is now undertaken by a lay administrator.

Temperance Hall, Rochestown, County Cork

The Temperance Hall at the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork, was built in 1913 as a ‘centre of temperance propaganda’ for the surrounding locality. Fr. Sylvester Mulligan OSFC (1875-1950), backed by enthusiastic local support, organised a raffle which raised such a substantial sum that the Capuchins gave permission for the building of the Hall. When completed, the Hall was capable of seating just over 300 people. It was officially opened for public use on 15 December 1913 by the Lord Mayor of Cork and Fr. Thomas Dowling OSFC (1874-1951), Provincial Minister. The new Hall consisted of a concert-platform, an auditorium and spacious committee rooms which could be used as classrooms. Despite the decline of the temperance movement, the Hall continued to function as a venue for drama, music and dancing productions. Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. (1901-1979) later strove to re-organise the management of the building which changed its name to Marian Hall in the early 1950s. Having laid vacant for many years, the former temperance hall at Rochestown was demolished in the 1990s.

Collection Content

The fonds consists of records relating to the Temperance Halls established by the Capuchin Franciscans in Dublin and in Cork. Most of the material dates from circa 1910-1960. The records relate to the establishment of sodalities and confraternities, the opening and operation of temperance halls, and the organisation of missions and retreats connected with the promotion of the Total Abstinence movement. The fonds consists of minute books, administrative files, financial statements, correspondence, plans, publicity material, newspapers, photographs and miscellaneous items of ephemera and artefacts connected with the use of these halls for the promotion of temperance and as locations of recreation for members of various local total abstinence societies. The fonds also includes records relating to the annual Father Mathew Feis ('Feis an t-Athair Maitiú') and to the educational lectures, concerts, sketches, dramatic plays, pantomimes and other social and cultural events held in these Halls to further the cause of temperance. It should be noted that the closure of Father Mathew Hall on Church Street in Dublin in the late 1990s likely resulted in the loss of a significant portion of the archival records of this institution.

In March 1930 the Capuchin Franciscans purchased Ards House near Creeslough in County Donegal. The Order procured Ards House and its 100-acre demesne from the Irish Land Commission who had acquired the estate from its previous owners, the Stewart-Bam family. The Ards estate, situated on a sheltered inlet of Sheephaven Bay, had a long history. The picturesque and mostly forested estate, located about fourteen miles from Letterkenny, was acquired by the Wrays, Williamite settlers from Yorkshire, in about 1700. The original house at Ards was constructed by the Wray family in 1710. In the eighteenth century, William Wray was described as ‘a celebrated figure, eccentric and autocratic, though kind and generous’. As a consequence of his extravagance and accumulating debts, William Wray was forced to sell his estate at Ards for £13,250 to Alexander Stewart (1746-1831) in 1781. Stewart was a younger brother of Robert Stewart, First Marquess of Londonderry (1739-1821), and an uncle of the renowned statesman, Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (1769-1822). Alexander Stewart served as High Sheriff of County Donegal from 1791-2, was a Member of Parliament from 1814-8, and was an owner of extensive properties at Ards, Doe Castle, Dunfanaghy, and in Letterkenny in County Donegal. He carried out extensive renovations to the Wray estate and towards the end of his life rebuilt Ards House into a two-storied Georgian mansion with an elaborate façade and expansive interior public rooms. The house was designed by John Hargrave (c.1788-1833) and was completed in about 1830. By the early twentieth century ownership of the Ards estate had passed to Lady Ena Dingwall Tasca Stewart (1885-1945) who inherited the property from her grandfather in 1904. In 1910, Lady Ena Stewart married Sir Pieter Canzius Blommestein Bam (1869-1928), a South African soldier, politician and businessman. From this point on, the property was known as the Stewart-Bam estate. Ards House and its 2,000-acre estate remained in the family’s possession until its acquisition by the Irish Land Commission in 1926.

The Commission assigned the northern portion of the estate to the Department of Lands for afforestation. This portion of the estate, covering over 1,200 acres, is now managed by Coillite, the state-run forestry body, as Ards Forest Park, which is an important tourist and public amenity in the locality. The remaining portion of the former Stewart-Bam estate was divided among tenants. Ards House and its demesne of over 100 acres was left unoccupied and gradually fell into disrepair. About this time, the Irish Capuchins were seeking a suitable location for a novitiate for the education of friars and students. In March 1930 the Capuchins purchased Ards House from the Irish Land Commission for £4,500. Extracts from the minute book of the Irish Capuchin Provincial Council provides some further detail:

'7 February 1930
It was decided that, the permission of the Bishop of Raphoe having been obtained for a foundation in his Diocese, to purchase Ards House and a portion of the demesne from the Irish Land Commission and to apply to Rome for sanction.
5 March 1930
It was decided that the purchase of Ards House in the Diocese of Raphoe for a canonical foundation be completed immediately and that provision be made for heating, lighting, and furnishing it and that Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap. be appointed Guardian of the new foundation, which will be known as Ard Mhuire Friary, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary'.

The first community in the newly established Ard Mhuire Friary consisted of the above-mentioned Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap., who was joined by Fr. Peter Kelleher OFM Cap. and Fr. Andrew Carew OFM Cap. Ards House, while solidly built (some of its stone walls were nearly three feet thick), was apparently not as commodious as exterior appearance would lead one to believe. It was also evident that the interior layout and facilities would require significant adaption to suit the needs of a religious community. An article on the history of Ard Mhuire provides the following details on the challenges facing the friars upon their arrival in Donegal:

'Fr. Colman, recalling their arrival, said they found the place under a mantle of snow (it was mid-March 1930). In every way, it was a rather dismal, depressing scene. Ards House had been vacant for a long time, the only occupiers being Paddy and Mrs O’Brien, who had shared the care-taking chores. In the intense cold, the absence of heating and lighting offered a cheerless prospect. The solitary concession was a fire in one room. They had brought bedding, but settling down in unaired, damp-ridden rooms posed a hazard to health. … First priority was an internal restructuring to comply with the needs of community life. What had been a room for dancing was converted into an oratory where Mass was celebrated. Gradually, the transformation took place, two massive mantle pieces which had to be removed were later erected in Glenveigh Castle. It was the same outside. The expansive grounds had been neglected for years, resembling a wilderness; roads and paths were blocked by fallen trees. … Progress was satisfactory enough to have the first novices brought to Ard Mhuire in January 1931. Bit by bit, the community, supported and encouraged by the local people, changed the former manor house into a friary that lacked none of the essentials'. (CA DL/6/22).

Ard Mhuire Friary quickly developed as focal point for the education of Capuchin friars for the priesthood as the Order’s novitiate and later as a house of theology. It was at Ard Mhuire where Capuchin clerical students spent their final four years of training before ordination. The entire course of their training took at least eight years from the completion of secondary school studies, with a year-long novitiate, three to four years of philosophy scholarship at university and a final four years of theological studies at Ard Mhuire. In the 1950s an increase in the number of vocations made it necessary to find more space at Ard Mhuire. It also became evident that the former Ards House would require extensive renovations. A serious fire in December 1944 had caused significant damage to the old mansion (see CA DL/3/10) and it was clear that the building would need substantial repair work. The condition of the old friary had by this point deteriorated considerably. The roof was developing cracks and the oldest part of the building, the elaborate façade, was physically crumbling. Three separate plans were drawn up for proposed alterations to the existing building, but all proved unsatisfactory. A decision was therefore made to build a new friary and house of studies along with a public church able to accommodate three hundred worshippers. Designs for the new buildings by the architect, James Rupert Boyd Barrett (c.1904-1976), were approved and the new friary and church were formerly opened on 13 November 1966. The old friary building was demolished shortly afterwards. The new buildings cost over £200,000 to complete. Money for the project was gathered through missions in the United States as well as subventions from the Order’s leadership in Rome. There were also several bequests and further donations. A collection in the diocese of Raphoe raised a total of £16,000. The new house of studies at Ard Mhuire provided accommodation for forty students, eight priests and six lay brothers. The new chapel was designed to meet the demands of the liturgical requirements of the Second Vatican Council with provision made for the con-celebration of Mass and an extensive sanctuary specifically designed for ordination ceremonies.

In September 1972 the Irish Capuchins decided to centralize theological studies and transfer their novices to Dublin. In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, it was felt that the Ard Mhuire was too remote and that friars studying for new forms of ministry should live in locations which offered more scope for and access to different kinds of social and pastoral work. This change had obvious implications for the future of Ard Mhuire which would now have a vastly diminished community of friars. During the forty-one years in which theological studies continued in the Donegal friary, one hundred and ninety-two students were ordained to the priesthood. Many of these friars went on to minister in overseas missions, mainly in the United States and in Africa where the Irish Capuchins had established custodies. Concerns were expressed by the then Bishop of Raphoe, Anthony McFeely (1909-1986), that Ard Mhuire would be closed and that the Capuchins would leave Donegal. At the Capuchin Provincial Chapter in 1973, it was decided to explore alternative pastoral and social uses for the Ard Mhuire foundation. In the summer of 1974, Ards Friary opened as a retreat house for use by both religious and lay communities. More attention was also paid to the use of the friary’s grounds as a public amenity. The old walled gardens of the former estate and the adjoining forest walks had been open to the public since the Capuchins acquired Ards House in 1930 and from 1972 the friary itself was opened up for various uses including social events for local lay organisations, outreach and fundraising conferences, and functions for charitable and religious purposes. In 2002 a new reception area and coffee shop were added. At the end of 2006 changes were made in relation to the management of the conference and retreat centre which ensured a greater role for the clergy of the diocese of Raphoe. Extensive renovations were made to the centre from 2007 to 2013 with the costs borne by the local diocese. Today, Ard Mhuire serves as the retreat and conference centre of the diocese of Raphoe. Priests and religious from many congregations and dioceses continue to make use of the centre for retreats. Ards Friary also offers conferences amenities for lay organizations with an emphasis on facilitating periods of rest, relaxation, reflection, prayer and vacation.

Collection Content

The collection consists of records relating to the Capuchin Franciscan community in Donegal and in particular to the foundation known as Ard Mhuire Friary (or Ards Friary) located near Creeslough in the county. Most of the records post-date 1930 when the Capuchins acquired ownership of Ards House, the former Stewart-Bam mansion, which they re-named Ard Mhuire and transformed into a theological seminary. The fonds includes legal records relating to the acquisition of Ards House from the Irish Land Commission, financial and business records, and photographic records assembled by individual members of the Capuchin community residing at Ard Mhuire. The collection also contains records relating to physical alterations to the Ard Mhuire foundation including correspondence, architectural plans and financial records relating to the construction of a new friary and house of studies on the existing site in the 1960s. Other records in the collection relate to Ard Mhuire’s use (particularly from 1972 onward) as a retreat and conference centre in the diocese of Raphoe. The fonds also contains historical research, newspaper clippings, photographic records and ephemera compiled by various Capuchin friars relating to the history of the locality 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 at Ard Mhuire.

List of papers read at the Father Mathew Union Meetings from 1902-24 ‘which it is proposed to reprint in a memorial volume’. The report of the Father Mathew Union for 1910 has ‘Rev. C.C. Hynes, “St. Patrick’s Temperance League of the West”’.

Paper; De Matrimonio in Nove Codice: Marriage in the New Code of Canon Law. (1917)

Bound volume containing a typescript script for the pantomime 'Cinderella' presumably performed at Father Mathew Hall. With manuscript additions and alterations to the script.