The material in this archive has not been catalogued. There are approximately 70 boxes of material in the archive. On the visit of the Women's History Project six boxes were examined and the following is a list of the contents of those boxes as they relate to women's history.

Box marked: Section III C. Workhouses/ Reforms

This box contains c.65 items, these include
Manuscript, Athlone Union Expenditure for year ending 29 September 1860 [1sheet]

Number in the house [Athlone Union] 4 April 1861 [2 sheets]

Printed [with annotations] giving salaries of workhouse officers, Medical charities expenses, estimate of rates to provide for expenditure to the 29 September 1860, [1 large sheet]

Bishop Gillooly seems to have sent out the letter regarding queries about the workhouses in his diocese in April 1861. The queries on the form include questions about statistics of workhouse, registering of religion of children, diseases of the house, do the children reared in the workhouse turn out well, does the system of outdoor relief exist, queries about the construction of the Board of Guardians, accommodation for Catholic and Protestant worship in the house, boarding out of children. Most of the correspondence in this box are replies to these queries.

Manuscript letter addressed to Right Rev. Dr Gillooly marked confidential, no date. This is an account of the Poor Law Guardians and politics and the condition of the workhouse. The author notes 'the hospital treatment is thought to be liberal, and some who are not paupers come here for the benefit of medical treatment as the doctor is considered rather an eminent surgeon'. Also 'There is no classification of the adult females who are nursing, the comparatively innocent victims of seduction and women with legitimate offspring are compelled to associate with the vilest prostitutes. The consequence is manifest'. Also information on boarding out. Letter appears to be in response to queries asked. Writing about 10 years after the erection of the workhouse. From Thomas Burke, P.P. This may refer directly to Portumna workhouse, the name is pencilled in on back.

• Children Search Repository Site
• Correspondence Search Repository Site
• Diseases Search Repository Site
• History Search Repository Site
• Hospitals Search Repository Site
• Letters Search Repository Site
• Medicine Search Repository Site
• Nursing Search Repository Site
• Politics Search Repository Site
• Poor Law Search Repository Site