| Collection Description | Scope and Content: The Daly Papers provide a unique insight into the birth of the Irish
republic and the country’s search for an identity in the first decades of its existence. At the
core of the collection is material relating to John Daly, a prominent Fenian and a source of
inspiration to the generation that followed, as attested by the quantity of correspondence
from numerous prominent republicans of the time. Of particular note is Daly’s
correspondence with Thomas Clarke (48-51, 72-91). Other items of note include; Seán
Mac Diarmada’s account of his part in the Howth gun-running operation (123); Edward
(Ned) Daly’s last letter to his mother on the eve of the Easter Rising (65); and Kathleen
Clarke’s letters to her sisters during her imprisonment in 1918-19 (35-41). The latter also
illustrate the role of women in the formation of the Irish republic, as do several other items
of correspondence in the collection. Madge Daly’s draft memoirs (264-268) provide a first-
hand account of the events leading up to and immediately following the Easter Rising.
Her account of a visit to Kilmainham Jail to see her brother Edward (Ned) Daly prior to his
execution (269) offers a unique insight into the hardship suffered by the families of the
leaders of the Easter Rising, and added poignancy is provided by personal effects in
Ned’s possession which were returned to the family after his death (469). The large
volume of photographs included in the collection (651-779) provides further insights into
the main players of this most turbulent of times. Material relating to the Dore branch of the
Daly family opens a window into the young nation’s first steps as an independent state.
Of particular interest are Edward Dore’s military medals (478-480) and his determination
to commemorate the Easter Rising in Limerick City which resulted in the erection of a
memorial on Sarsfield Bridge in 1956 (245, 335-228, 530, 768-772); and his son Éamonn
de hÓir’s impassioned campaign for the promotion of the Irish language (425-438) and
his extensive contribution to the study of Irish place names (405-424). Also of note is de
hÓir’s substantial research into the life of John Daly (448-450, 550-554) with a view to
writing his biography, the publication of which was prevented by de hÓir’s untimely death.
[UL Special Collections] |
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