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'The Capuchin Annual' was published by the Irish Province of the Capuchin Franciscans from 1930 to 1977. The purpose of the publication was clearly stated:

'"The Capuchin Annual" from its foundation presents Ireland to the world, sets forth the Irish way of life in all its phases: spiritual, cultural, intellectual, and social. It has been said that Ireland has a spiritual mission, and we believe that her mission is best fulfilled by showing her people, their customs, their literature, their art to the world. Our interest in Ireland exists beyond the confines of her shores to the achievements of Irishmen wherever their native genius has contributed to the glory of their own country or the country of their adoption'.

The 'Annual' was founded by Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. (1900-1970), a Kerry-born Capuchin friar who exuded a deep literary interest. Shortly after his ordination in 1928 he was appointed editor of 'The Father Mathew Record', a popular monthly publication of the Irish Capuchins which promoted the Order’s overseas’ missions (particularly in Africa) and carried articles supporting the cause of total abstinence which had as its champion Fr. Theobald Mathew OSFC (1790-1856), a charismatic friar who led a nationwide temperance campaign in the nineteenth century. Fr. Senan strove to create a higher grade, more literary publication. He was acquainted with many well-known Irish writers and artists and he secured permission from his superiors to publish the 'Annual' in 1930. Although its ethos always remained the promotion of Christian values and a Catholic way of life, the 'Annual' found many unique ways of exploring these subjects. In addition to the task of presenting Ireland and the Irish way of life to the world, 'The Capuchin Annual' also presented the Capuchin friars, their ideals, their history and their missionary endeavours to a wider audience. From its inception, the 'Annual' attracted a very high quality of contributing authors. It was a journal unique in Irish publishing containing many literary, historical, topographical, photographic, biographical, artistic, and cultural articles. Many Irish writers, artists and educators who later gained prominence such as Benedict Kiely (1919-2007), Francis MacManus (1909-1965), and Augustine Martin (1935-1995) received their first opportunities to publish in the 'Annual'. Other leading writers, artists, politicians and public figures who contributed to the 'Annual' included Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (1883-1964), Pearse Hutchinson (1927-2012), Daniel Corkery (1878-1964), Alice Curtayne (1898-1981), Aodh de Blácam (1890-1951), Richard Mulcahy (1886-1971), Leon Ó Broin (1902-1990), Brian O’Higgins (1882-1963), and Francis Stuart (1902-2000).

Fr. Senan crafted 'The Capuchin Annual' into a finely tuned expression of Irish nationalism. His editorial office was located on Capel Street in Dublin and it became a regular meeting place for artists and writers. He was also an acquaintance of Éamon de Valera and his successor as leader of Fianna Fáil, Seán Lemass. De Valera supported the 'Annual' and appreciated its editorial alignment with the nationalist agenda espoused by the Fianna Fáil party. The 'Annual' also strove to develop a wider public appreciation of Irish art. With the assistance of his friend Thomas MacGreevy (1893-1967), a noted literary figure and director of the National Gallery of Ireland from 1950-63, Fr. Senan promoted the work of Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats (1871-1957), Seán O’Sullivan (1906-1964) and Richard King (1907-1974). Fr. Senan was naturally gifted as a page-setter and the 'Annual' was regularly lauded. The 'Irish Times’ review of the 1937 edition complimented Fr. Senan as a ‘distinguished editor’ who had produced ‘one of the brightest magazines of the season’ ('Irish Times', 28 Dec. 1936). In 1942, Patrick Kavanagh (1904-1967) referred to the 'Annual' as an 'amazing phenomenon of modern political Catholic Ireland’ ('Irish Times', 10 Jan. 1942). The publication spread knowledge of and heightened awareness of Irish painting, sculpture, music, poetry and literature. Although its readership was predominately Irish, its circulation was international as it was frequently sent to Irish emigrants in the United States, Canada and Australia. The publication was immediately successful from a circulation point-of-view. Only 2,000 copies of the first edition of the 'Annual' were printed in 1930 and these were sold out within a month. By 1940 the print run had increased to 25,000 copies.

The 'Annual' was always published on high quality glossy paper, ensuring that reproductions of artwork were as good as one would expect in a fine arts journal. The publication increased in physical size by the 1940s. The 1930 edition had two hundred and thirty-six pages. This had increased to three hundred and ninety-eight pages in 1940. Throughout the difficult years of the Second World War (or ‘The Emergency’ as it was referred to in Ireland), the 'Annual' continued to be published, albeit on slightly coarser paper due to wartime restrictions. The high quality of the publication meant that it was a costly endeavour to produce. Printing full-colour reproductions of artwork along with the generous honorariums offered by Fr. Senan to contributors greatly increased production costs. Benedict Kiely was paid an exorbitant fee of thirty guineas for one poem about the 1916 Rising published in the 1942 edition. In 1936 Fr. Senan wrote to the Capuchin Provincial Minister to assure him that the publication was ‘solvent’. (CA CP-1-12-1). 21,000 copies of the 1937 edition were printed at a total cost of £2,500 with a profit of around £800. Despite these reassurances, it appears that Fr. Senan remained profligate in his spending. In 1954, he outlined a series of measures aimed at reducing the escalating debt of the Capuchin Publications Office (CA CP-1-5-1-2). This included selling off the office’s valuable collection of art (including three original paintings by Jack B. Yeats which he had purchased and reproduced in the 1942 'Annual'). These financial difficulties inevitably resulted in a strain on Fr. Senan’s health and he required hospitalization for periods in the late 1940s and in the early 1950s. In 1955 a decision was made at the Capuchin Provincial Chapter to remove Fr. Senan from the editorship of the 'Annual'. Fr. Nessan Shaw OFM Cap. (1915-1997), a fellow friar and friend, offered this assessment of the reasons for Fr. Senan’s departure:

'At the Provincial Chapter of 1955, Fr. Senan was transferred to the Capuchin Friary of the Most Holy Trinity in Cork with no definite assignment. Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. was appointed editor of the 'Annual' with Fr. Felix Guihen OFM Cap. as manager. The appointment of a manager was significant because it considered that the financial arrangements and the editorship was too much for one man. That proved to be the case with Senan with the result that in spite of his best efforts the publication ran into serious debt, certainly from 1950 onwards (note that the 1950 and 1951 issues were amalgamated). It is my opinion that this caused him serious worry and very definite stress. Due to his constant work in the promotion of culture and the art and the necessity of contact with contributors of first-class quality, Fr. Senan lived a life somewhat removed from the lifestyle of the ordinary Capuchin. He had premises at 2 Capel Street which served both as an office and an art gallery. There might be found famous writers and painters etc. who contributed to the Annual – Jack B. Yeats, Seán Keating, Count John McCormack etc. In addition, there was maintenance staff, so the financial resources were not there to meet the demands. This was the real cause of his problems'.

Finding it impossible to continue as editor of the publication he had founded, Fr. Senan later requested secularization and left the Capuchin Order to become a diocesan priest in Australia. He arrived in Perth in 1959 following an invitation from Archbishop Redmond Prendiville (1900-1968), a fellow Kerryman. On arrival, Fr. Senan took up a position as chaplain to the Mercy Sisters at St. Anne’s Hospital in Mount Lawley, Western Australia (now St. John of God Mount Lawley Hospital). Archbishop Prendiville appointed him archivist of the Perth Archdiocese in 1962. He died in Perth on 26 July 1970 and was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery.

The appointment of Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. (1910-1977) as editor of the 'Annual' in 1955 occasioned no real change in the ethos of the publication. The 'Annual' continued to publish an eclectic mix of content ranging from scholarly articles on the struggle for Irish independence to features extolling physical achievement, the national myth, rebellion, adventure, and spiritual and moral self-improvement. An awareness of the Capuchin Order’s commitment to the missionary work of the church explained much of the publication’s content as did an adherence to the predominantly conservative culture of the Irish state. Fr. Henry reflected on the 'Annual’s' purpose in 1965 as a publication ‘of prestige value … run by an Order on a shoe-string but produced as a Catholic and patriotic effort which has, I have no doubt, done much good for these objects over thirty years’ (CA CP-1-5-2-20).

Under Fr. Henry's editorship, the 'Annual' cemented its position as a popular cultural journal. He greatly expanded content which examined events associated with the Irish Revolution. The 1966 edition published detailed articles, profusely illustrated, on the 1916 Rising. The 1967 edition offered a striking pictorial record of the nationwide commemorations marking the fiftieth anniversary of the insurrection. Reproductions of contemporary photographs were also used to illustrate articles which reflected upon the ‘resurgence of the national spirit of Ireland after the 1916 prisoners were released’. More than two hundred and fifty pages of the 1970 edition were given over to memorializing key figures and events in the War of Independence. These anniversary features provided plenty of scope for forthright displays of national sentiment. Comparatively little was published on the contested history of the Civil War. Like Fr. Senan before him, Fr. Henry maintained the 'Annual’s' decidedly republican perspective. In a reassuring letter to the leading Fianna Fáil politician, James Ryan (1891-1970), Fr. Henry remarked that ‘the tradition of "The Capuchin Annual", as you know, has always been along the other [republican] side, and it is my intention that it shall remain so’ (25 Feb. 1969. CA CP-1-5-1-8).

'The Capuchin Annual' presented an unusual form of miscellany. Its extended length, designed to meet the needs of an annual publication, ensured that it exhibited a broadly conservative and nationalistic ideology in a comprehensive fashion. However, its goals of educating and elucidating in areas beyond the narrow confines of the prevailing culture of the state resulted in a varied mix of religious, literary, historical and artistic content. The 'Annual' attracted a readership who normally would not have even glanced at what was, outwardly, a religious journal. The renowned Irish playwright and critic, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), was an avid reader of the 'Annual', and it was one of the few Irish periodicals he subscribed to (CA CP-1-6-9). The final edition of the 'Annual' was published in 1977. A cursory note in this issue attributed its demise to the increasing costs of production. A ninety percent increase in printing costs from 1973-76 made the continued publication of the 'Annual' economically unviable. The print-run in 1976 (about 6,300 copies) cost over £14,500 and arrears in the Publications Office were running at over £1,200 per annum. Despite increases in the retail price of the periodical, it was clear that such losses were not sustainable. Many contributors, academics and literary critics lamented the journal’s demise. Fr. Henry limited himself to expressing an opinion that the decision to cease publication was a ‘mistake’ (CA CP-1-5-1-15). He died on 30 May 1977 just a few months after completing work on the final edition.

'The Capuchin Annual' was one of the most widely read Irish literary publications of the twentieth century. Though Irish-Ireland in its politics, the journal was never narrowly Catholic. The deployment of a wide range of topics ensured that it could not be easily located within the prevailing periodical culture of the period. Interested primarily in literature, history and art, it also took an astute view on issues of social and political import. The complete run of 'The Capuchin Annual' (1930-1977) has been digitised and is now freely accessible online.

'The Father Mathew Record' (later 'Eirigh')

'The Father Mathew Record' was a monthly periodical published by the Irish Capuchins. The 'Record' began publication in January 1908 and was founded by Fr. Aloysius Travers OFM Cap. (1870-1957). The stated aim of this popular magazine was to ‘record, month by month, the efforts made by the Father Mathew Total Abstinence Association and the Father Mathew Hall to advance the sacred cause of temperance’. Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. was appointed editor in 1928. Under his editorship, the 'Record' increased the amount of coverage of the Capuchin overseas' missions, and by 1934 circulation had increased to 12,000 copies a month. During the Second World War foreign mission reportage was curtailed and, in its place, there was a greater emphasis on Franciscan spirituality along with articles on Irish culture, art and literature. Around this time, Fr. Gerald McCann OFM Cap. (1910-1948) assumed the editorship of the 'Record' leaving Fr. Senan to concentrate on the production of 'The Capuchin Annual'. Fr. Gerald was also a gifted artist and his humorous depictions of Franciscan life were regularly published in both the 'Annual' and in the 'Record'. 1967 marked the last year of the publication under the title of 'The Father Mathew Record'. Following his appointment as editor in 1967, Fr. Donal O’Mahony OFM Cap. (1936-2010) decided to broaden the appeal of the Capuchin publication and sought permission to change the name and enhance the content of the 'Record' to reflect current ideas about social and cultural issues affecting Christian living. From January 1968 the periodical was known as 'Eirigh' and it continued to be published by the Irish Capuchins until December 1973.

Collection Content:

'The Capuchin Annual' was published from 1930 to 1977. It only ever had two editors, Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. (1900-1970) and Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. (1910-1977). The distinctive cover illustration of St. Francis and the wolf was designed by Seán O’Sullivan RHA (1906-1964). The Three Candles Press founded by Colm Ó Lochlainn (1892-1972) printed the first three issues of the Annual. John English & Co. of Wexford assumed printing responsibilities from 1934 until 1957, and from 1958 until the final issue in 1977 it was printed by Dollard Printing House in Dublin.

Very many of the surviving records in 'The Capuchin Annual' collection relate to the editorship of Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. who assumed responsibility for the Capuchin publication in 1955 following the resignation of Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. Fr. Senan subsequently settled in Australia in 1959. It has not been ascertained why so little of the archive associated with Fr. Senan’s editorship of the 'Annual' has survived. Fr. Henry noted Fr. Senan’s practice of ‘returning to all writers any manuscripts he had received and had not paid for’ (25 Nov. 1954. CA CP-1-5-2-1). It also appears that Fr. Senan did not maintain much contact with the Capuchin Publications Office following his departure for Australia. Many years later Fr. Henry affirmed that Fr. Senan ‘has had nothing to do with this place for over twenty years’ (21 July 1976. CA CP-1-5-1-15). It is conceivable that Fr. Senan took much of his personal archive (including papers relating to the operation of the 'Annual') with him to Australia. The Archives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth (Fr. Senan was appointed archivist in 1962) confirmed that he died without making a will and that his papers were subsequently auctioned and dispersed following his death. In an article by Ormonde D.P. Waters on the Fenians in Australia published in 'Seanchas Ard Mhacha' in 1996, it is noted that Fr. Senan was a ‘dedicated Fenian researcher’ and that ‘his very specialized library was scattered in a second-hand bookshop shortly after his death’. In 2003 the National Library of Ireland acquired manuscript drafts of two poems ('The Mother' and 'The Fool') by Patrick Pearse (1879-1916). The Library purchased the manuscripts from the Archdiocese of Perth. The provenance note suggested that these manuscripts were gifted by Pearse’s sister, Margaret, to Fr. Senan before he left for Australia. A recent discovery by Professor Richard Sharpe of the first printing of Brian Merriman’s (c.1747-1805) 'Cúirt An Mheán Oíche' ('The Midnight Court') in the National Library of Ireland also refers to the prior ownership of ‘Fr. Senan Moynihan, Saint Anne’s Hospital, Mount Lawley, Western Australia’. Other material with a direct provenance to Fr. Senan (including an autograph poem presented to the Capuchin friar by Donagh MacDonagh, son of Thomas MacDonagh, the executed 1916 Rising leader) has been offered for sale at auction. This would seem to support the contention that many of the papers and ephemera of cultural and historical significance acquired by Fr. Senan during his time as editor of 'The Capuchin Annual' were dispersed and sold in the years after his death.

Many of the records held in the Irish Capuchin Archives are draft articles received by Fr. Henry Anglin OFM Cap. for publication in the 'Annual'. A significant twentieth-century photographic archive is also extant. The collection also includes volumes containing copies of Fr. Henry’s outgoing letters along with financial records dating from the 1960s until the closure of the publication in 1977. A very large assemblage of ephemera in the form of photoengraving plates and stereotype printing blocks is also extant in the collection. These were likely returned to the Capuchin Publications Office by the firms responsible for the printing of the 'Annual'. The survival of certain record series is seemingly haphazard. In 1976 Fr. Henry referred to the destruction of ‘many periodicals and papers’ when the Publications Office moved from Father Mathew Hall to new premises adjacent to the Capuchin Friary on Church Street. (28 Apr. 1976. CA CP-1-5-1-15). The surviving records were subsequently transferred from the Publications Office following its closure. It is very likely that this transfer occasioned a further loss of material as the Capuchins had not yet acquired a suitable space for the storage of their archives.

The Capuchin Franciscans have worked in Ireland since the seventeenth century. From the middle of the nineteenth century the Irish Capuchins manifested a missionary zeal which took them from home to the furthest corners of the globe. Irish friars have undertaken overseas missions in the United States, Africa, New Zealand, and South Korea. Well over one hundred Irish Capuchins have ministered in Africa since the first friar arrived in South Africa in 1929, and in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia) in 1931.

South Africa

In 1927 the Vicar Apostolic of Cape Province in South Africa, the Most Rev. Bernard O’Riley (1868-1956), invited the Irish Capuchins to open a mission. The friars responded positively to this request and in 1929 Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. (1876-1958), Fr. Alban Cullen OFM Cap. (1902-1957) and Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. (1901-1979) began missionary work in the Cape Flats on the outskirts of Cape Town. From the outset, the friars ministered among the marginalized black and ‘coloured’ (or mixed-race) populations of the area. Two foundational parishes were initially assigned to the Capuchins at Athlone (St. Mary of the Angels) and at Parow (Immaculate Conception). Parow is located eleven miles from the centre of Cape Town. The parish included the townships of Elsies River and Vasco located in the greater Cape Town municipality. The racial composition of Parow was mixed with both white and ‘coloured’ inhabitants. Athlone is located six miles from Parow and about twelve miles from Cape Town and has a predominately mixed-race population. In 1935 the Athlone foundation expanded to incorporate ministries at other locations including Langa and the Welcome Estate. Additional ministries were commenced in Matroosfontein (1933), Tiger Valley (1951), Belgravia (1954), Bridgetown (1967) and Elsies River (1979). All these parishes are situated in the Archdiocese of Cape Town. Within five years of arriving in South Africa, the Capuchins had built churches at Athlone and at Parow. Presbyteries, schools, and training colleges followed.

Of necessity, the Capuchins in Cape Town worked chiefly as parish priests offering public masses, attending sick calls, and promoting the cause of temperance. Other duties included evangelisation, organising lay religious sodalities, ministry to coverts, pre-nuptial courses, retreats, prison ministry, and promoting vocations and formation work for new friars. Despite the violent political unrest provoked by the system of racial discrimination known as apartheid, the Irish friars continued to labour among the poorest and most segregated in South African society. The work of the Capuchins with the ‘coloured’ population of Cape Flats and in the townships continued despite the frequent and fierce repression of the white minority government. In the seven parishes served by the Capuchins in South Africa in the 1980s, five were in the so-called ‘coloured’ areas, one in the African area, and one which straddled a racially mixed district. Education was a key element of missionary work within the Capuchin parishes and schools were established with the assistance of the Holy Cross Sisters, the Christian Brothers, and other religious congregations. The Capuchin Custody of South Africa remains under the jurisdiction of the Irish Capuchin Province and Irish friars continue to work in a variety of religious and social ministries in the country alongside missionary friars from Tanzania and India.

Zambia

In 1930 another field of missionary activity was offered to the Irish Capuchins. They were invited into vast area of 168,000 km2, comprising the Livingstone district and Barotseland, the western province of what was then called Northern Rhodesia (now the Republic of Zambia). Before 1931 there was no resident priest in the whole area from Livingstone to the Angolan border in the north. Prior to the arrival of the Irish Capuchins in 1931, the Barotseland mission was nominally under the control of the Prefect Apostolic of Broken Hill (now Kabwe), a town nearly four hundred miles north of Livingstone. The territory was effectively virgin-soil for Catholic missionary work. The only previous attempt at evangelization in Barotseland was unsuccessful. In 1881, the Jesuits had entered the territory and received permission from the local Paramount Chief but the presence of the Protestant missionary association, the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society ('Société des missions évangéliques de Paris'), disrupted their work in the district.

In 1931 three Irish Capuchins arrived in Livingstone with the intention of opening a new mission. Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap. set about constructing a friary in Livingstone. Fr. Declan McFadden OFM Cap. and Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap. (1905-1972) arrived in October 1931, with Fr. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. (1902-1979) and Fr. Seraphin Nesdale OFM Cap. coming in February 1932. Soon afterwards, the Capuchins began exploring the interior of Barotseland establishing a centre at Loanja, about one hundred and fifty kilometres north of Livingstone. The missionaries encountered many difficulties. There were no roads, and the friars travelled on foot or in canoes and on barges on the Zambezi River. Lions, leopards, and crocodiles posed some threat but more harmful to health were the smaller creatures such as tsetse flies and mosquitoes which carried a significant risk of malaria and other diseases. The friars also had to acquire knowledge of the local language of Lozi. Within two months of arriving at Loanja in 1932, the friars had built houses for themselves and their workers as well as a church and a school. These were simple structures with the walls supported by poles set into the ground interwoven with wattles and plastered with mud. The roofs were thatched. However, Loanja proved to be less than an ideal location as it was situated in a desert area and with a widely dispersed and small population. In 1936 the friars moved to Sichili. In the meantime, the friars worked diligently on acquiring an understanding of the local language and customs. The catechism was translated and printed in 1933 and this was followed by a translation of the New Testament. The influence of the Protestant missionary groups in the area continued to be a serious impediment as they laid to claim to vast swathes of the territory as their ‘sphere of influence’ to the definite exclusion of Catholic missionaries. Despite these difficulties, the Irish friars succeeded in opening a new mission station at Lukulu in December 1935.

In May 1936 Fr. Killian Flynn OFM Cap. was appointed the first Prefect Apostolic of Victoria Falls. Under his guidance, the provision of education and medical services became spearheads of mission development as new stations were opened at Mankoya (1938), Sihole (1943) and Katima Mulilo (1944) located in the Caprivi Strip in what was then South West Africa (now Namibia), and later at Malengwa (1947). A total of twenty-one Capuchin missions were established throughout Barotseland. Each friary, besides being a residence for the missionaries, acted as a base for outreach for evangelization and development in the surrounding districts. In March 1950 the Prefecture was raised to be the Vicariate Apostolic of Livingstone with Fr. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. consecrated as Vicar Apostolic in September 1950. In August 1959 the mission territory of the Vicariate of Livingstone was erected into the Diocese of Livingstone and the Most Rev. Timothy Phelim O’Shea OFM Cap. was installed as Bishop. He remained Bishop of Livingstone until the nomination of Monsignor Adrian Mung’andu (c.1920-2007) in 1974.

Additional mission stations were opened throughout the 1960s. Churches were built in each Boma or administrative centre, in Nalionwa (1960), Senanga (1966), Mongu (1966), Sesheke (1967) and at St. Conrad’s Friary in the capital, Lusaka. At this time the decolonization of Africa was continuing apace, and Zambia achieved independence from British rule in October 1964. Support for the Irish missionaries came in 1965 with the arrival of American friars from the New Jersey Capuchin Province. They were allocated the northern section of the Livingstone Diocese and they opened a new mission station at Kambompo (1966). This built upon the work of other religious congregations primarily in the fields of education and health care. The Holy Cross Sisters had worked in the country since 1936. This congregation was founded by a Swiss Capuchin priest, and the sisters devoted themselves to teaching and to the care of the sick (especially leprosy victims). An orphanage was opened in Sichili and later the sisters established secondary schools in Lukulu and in Malengwa. An emphasis was placed on the education of women and a female teacher-training college was also opened by the Holy Cross Sisters. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood arrived in 1946 and established a hospital in Kasaba. From the late 1940s, they worked alongside the Irish friars in running hospitals in Mangango, Sesheke and Chinyingi. In 1967 the Irish Christian Brothers took over the running of secondary schools in Katongo and in Livingstone. Many lay people (from Ireland and elsewhere) came to Zambia to work as teachers, nurses, doctors and development workers at the Capuchin mission stations.

The rapid progress in the building of schools, hospitals and health-care centres in these years was remarkable, since the colonial government had made little or no provision for such services. These developments were largely due to the generous financial support offered by the Capuchins in Europe and in North America and through public fund-raising efforts of Capuchin mission offices and lay associations. In 1974, a total of two hundred and twenty primary schools were handed over by the Diocese of Livingstone to the government, which hereafter had responsibility for their administration. The provision of assistance to Angolan refugees became a major focus of the work of the Irish Capuchins in Zambia in the 1980s. Fr. Benignus Buckley OFM Cap. was the principal co-ordinator at the Sioma mission dealing with the huge numbers of refugees fleeing the civil war in Angola who were accommodated in various camps in Namibia and in Zambia. While there was an emphasis on education and health care services in the Zambian mission, the friars also strove to promote their own Capuchin way-of-life. A major weakness was identified in the lack of local vocations. Ad-hoc efforts were made to promote vocations and develop a novitiate programme before the establishment in 1983 of the Franciscan House of Studies just outside Lusaka to provide training for men aspiring to become friars. In 1992 the Franciscan House of Studies became St. Bonaventure’s College, a formation centre for the Franciscan Orders. In July 2007 a dedicated Capuchin novitiate was opened at Camerino near Lusaka.

Over one hundred Irish friars and nearly twenty American Capuchins have ministered in Zambia since the start of missionary work in the country. The numbers peaked in the late 1960s when there were sixty-two missionary friars in the country. Today, in the territory originally assigned to the Irish Capuchins, eighteen different religious congregations have a presence. There are approximately thirty-one parishes with various apostolic groups responding to the many spiritual and social needs of the local populace. Working alongside members of other religious congregations and lay professionals, the friars have had an immeasurable impact on the lives of many impoverished Zambians. The Capuchin Custody of Zambia remains under the jurisdiction of the Irish Capuchin Province. Irish friars are still working and ministering in Zambian continuing an unbroken ninety-year record of service on the continent.

Collection Content

The African mission collection in the Irish Capuchin Archives includes correspondence, visitation records, financial reports, diaries and journals, oral histories, publications, newspaper clippings and photographs (in albums, loose files and born-digital format) relating to the many years of Irish Capuchin missionary activity on the African continent. The collection comprises material sent back to the Irish Province and to the Capuchin Foreign Mission Office by Irish Capuchins in Africa from the 1930s onward. The papers chronicle the life and work of the Irish Capuchins since their arrival in South Africa in 1929 and in what was then known as Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) in 1931. The files of correspondence between the missionary friars and their Provincial Ministers in Ireland illustrate the areas or spheres in which they laboured: parish work, education, health-care, social development and evangelization. Geographically, this work took place primarily in Cape Town, South Africa, and in Barotseland, later the western province of Zambia. The records reflect the impact of the Irish Capuchin missionary presence particularly in the building and management of parishes, and in the fields of education, health-care provision, and socio-economic development.

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.

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.

This collection contains material relating to the Vincentian community in the Parish of St Mary’s, Lanark, Scotland. Items include: Correspondence (1855-2006), Photographs (1950-1978), Copy Deeds (1870), Lanark Teinds (1883-1907), Visitation Reports (1976 & 1980), Annual Return of Income & Expenditure (1963, 1993 & 1998), Minutes (1888, 1963 & 1980), Inventory of Property (1961), Architects Drawings (1977), Publications (1910, 1959 & 1990), Statements of Accounts (1925-1990), Receipts & Vouchers (1868-1954) Ordnance Survey Map (1947). Also includes material relating to St Mary’s Hospital, Lanark and St Mary’s Orphanage at Smyllum.

The archive contains letters, minutes, accounts, secondary sources and photographs regarding the Sheffield presence of the Vincentians.

This collection contains material relating to the Vincentian community in the Parish of Our Lady’s Queen of the Universe, Hereford, United Kingdom. Items include: correspondence, Visitation Reports, House Council Minutes, Architects Reports, newspaper cuttings, printed articles, photographs.