‘Paget Prize Plate Co., Ltd., Watford’ box. The box contains a manuscript note which reads: ‘With Fr. Russell’s compliments. Negatives of Thomastown Castle, County Tipperary. Front and back views. Maynooth, 27 Nov. 1913’. The box contains three glass plate negatives. A front and rear view of Thomastown Castle, the childhood home of Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856), and a photographic image of a letter from Fr. Mathew. Thomastown Castle, near Golden in County Tipperary, was a large country house built by the Mathew family. The earliest house on this site was built by George Mathew and dated to c.1670. The house was enlarged in the Gothic style by Francis Mathew, 2nd Earl of Llandaff, in 1812. The renowned Irish architect, Richard Morrison (1767-1849), redesigned the house incorporating several Gothic features including the ornate towers on the front elevation. Thomastown Castle was the childhood home of Fr. Theobold Mathew OSFC who abandoned a life of privilege to become a Capuchin friar. By the late nineteenth century the fortunes of the Mathew family had declined, and Thomastown Castle had fallen into ruins and the estate was completely abandoned. The ‘Fr. Russell’ referred to in the manuscript note in the file is probably Fr. Mathew Russell, editor of ‘The Irish Monthly’.
‘Paget Prize Plate Co., Ltd., Watford’ box. The box contains seven plates. The plates include a view of Ards House (later Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary) near Creeslough in County Donegal, and a group of five unidentified Capuchin friars walking in a garden (one of the friars has a hand over his face). The other five plates appear to be ‘holiday scenes’ including one of the Frederiksholms Kanal in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a promenade scene onboard a ship.
A view of Frederiksholms Kanal, a canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark, in about 1910. The prominent domed building in the centre of the image is the Christiansborg Palace which is the seat of the Danish Parliament. The large steeple is the 300 ft spire of St. Nicholas (Lutheran) Church which opened in 1912. The image appears to show scaffolding around the spire which suggests that the photograph was taken during its reconstruction in the years from 1909 to 1912. The church now houses the Nikolaj Contemporary Art Center.
A view of the exterior of Ards House near Creeslough in County Donegal. Ards House (later Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary) was formerly the residence of the Stewart-Bam family. The house and demesne were taken over by the Irish Land Commission in 1927. It was acquired by the Capuchin Order in March 1930. The Order changed the name of the old Stewart-Bam house to Ard Mhuire which became a theological seminary. The first community consisted of Fr. Colman Griffin OFM Cap. (Guardian), Fr. Patrick Kelleher OFM Cap., Fr. Andrew Carew OFM Cap. and Br. Fidelis Rice OFM Cap. It took some time to convert Ards House into a Capuchin friary. A power plant was built for electric light and central heating was installed. A large fire in December 1944 caused considerable damage to the old house and the decision was made in the mid-1950s to demolish the residence and build a new friary and church. At this point, the mansion was in a terrible state of repair – the lead roof was developing cracks and was leaking and the oldest part of the building, the elaborate façade, was crumbling. The new Capuchin Friary at Ard Mhuire was formally opened on 13 November 1966. The friary overlooks the shores of Sheephaven Bay and now offers retreats, conferences, seminars, and periods of rest and relaxation, reflection, prayer and holidays.
A view (from onboard a ship) of the Levensau High Bridge, a high level arch bridge that spans the Kiel Canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Built in 1894, it is the oldest bridge crossing the the canal.
A view of several Capuchin friars walking in a walled garden. The group includes (from left to right): Fr. Bonaventure Murphy OFM Cap. (1880-1968). His hand is partially obscuring his face. Fr. Augustine Hayden OFM Cap. (1870-1954) Fr. Matthew O'Connor OFM Cap. (1859-1930) Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap. (1856-1926) Fr. Stanislaus Kavanagh OFM Cap. (1876-1965)
‘Beta Komos Photographics Limited, Letchworth, England’ box. The box is annotated: ‘Negatives. Irish Friars. Fr. Angelus Healy OFM Cap.’. The box includes twenty-two plates. The plates include: (a) A family portrait of six unidentified individuals. The plate is contained within an envelope with has manuscript annotation of dates and places from c.1915-27. (b) Br. Elzear Kelly OFM Cap. (1857-1937). With cover annotation. (c) Fr. Peter Bowe OFM Cap. (1856-1926) sitting in front of ornamental rug. Two plates within an annotated envelope. (d) A view of two Capuchin friars in the garden of St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street. One of the friars is cutting the lawn grass. With cover annotation. (e) Interior view of Rochestown Friary Church. With cover annotation. (f) Portrait of ‘the late John Bowe, Kilkenny Friary’. With cover annotation. The plates marked g-u do not contain any annotations. They are views of unidentified Capuchin friars (either as individuals or in groups). Includes some views of friars in the interior of houses, playing hurling or outdoors such as on a horse and cart.
An outdoor group family portrait of six unidentified individuals. The plate is contained within an envelope which has a manuscript annotation of dates from c.1915-27.
