ID2093
CollectionThe O'Rahilly Papers
ReferenceP102 (1-653)
Description

Contains material relating to Nannie O'Rahilly (nee Brown), including letters from her mother, Mary Brown, correspondence with her sisters-in-law Anna Rahilly and Nell Humphries on family matters, and letters of condolence on the death of her husband (1916). Also her Gaelic League membership card, application form for membership of Cumann na mBan, and documentation and letters from Countess Markievicz, Mary Colum, Louise Gavan Duffy, Una Ní Ríain and others on the organisation; also miscellaneous correspondence of Nannie and related material, 1916-1953 and letters from Aodhogan O'Rahilly to his mother.
O'Rahilly family correspondence includes letters to Michael Joseph Rahilly from his cousin Ellen (1842), to Dr Michael Joseph Rahilly from his sister Margaret and his mother (1853-1859), and from him to his mother (1860); letters from Marianna Rahilly to her brother Richard; O'Rahilly's childhood correspondents include Maura Fitzgerald, J. Stanislaus (aunt) and Anna (sister); also documents relating to his marriage to Nancy Brown (1899), and letters on family and business matters from him to Nannie, to his sisters Anna and Nell and to his mother. The section on genealogical research includes an essay (1885) by Margaret J. Reilly on 'The fine dignity of woman'.

O'Rahilly's correspondence includes letters from Elizabeth MacNaughton, Millie Figgis, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (inviting O'Rahilly to speak on the position of women in ancient Ireland to a meeting of the Irish Women's Franchise League), Maud Gonne, Florence Holbrook, Chicago and Mabel Fitzgerald.

On opposition to the 1911 royal visit, the collection includes letters from Clara Smith, Helena Ní Mhaoldhomnaigh (Women's Anti-Welcome Committee), Countess Markievicz; also her design for a postcard and recollections of the campaign, and letter from Síle O'Donoghue with words of a ballad on the subject; also correspondence from Neilí Ní Bhriain on the Gaelic League and on Irish lettering.

On the Irish Volunteers, a letter from Mary MacSwiney reporting opposition to the movement in Cork, and hoping it will be possible to 'draw to our side the educated and monied people who are rather holding aloof'; also correspondence from Mary Spring Rice on Limerick City Volunteers, mentioning that a cousin has offered to make a Volunteer flag and enquiring about the design; also from Miss Mallt Williams, South Wales. Material on Howth gun-running includes letters, some in Irish, to O'Rahilly from Mary Spring Rice, mentioning contacts with arms dealers and arranging meetings between herself, O'Rahilly, Eoin MacNeill, Roger Casement and Erskine Childers; also correspondence from Mary and Arthur Jennings on arrangements for the transport and landing of arms, and letter from Dick Humphries to Nannie O'Rahilly, describing the landing of arms at Howth and the shooting in Bachelor's Walk.

Also recollections of Phyllis O'Kelly on the Rising, and extracts made by Sheila O'Donoghue from a letter from Nell Humphries to her sister-in-law Nora in Australia with an account of the Rising, with description of the part played by women 'The only place where they were not present [was] Boland's Mill (as De Valera the Commandant would have none of them', and copy of statement by Anna O'Rahilly (1950) on the founding of Cumann na mBan, her part in the organisation, Howth gun-running and the Rising, and correspondence of Bride O'Rahilly (1966-1967) on the 1916 commemoration.

The collection also includes correspondence of Nell Humphries, and correspondence between Aodogan and Mac O'Rahilly and Sheila O'Donoghue on Aodogan's proposed biography of his father.

AccessBy prior appointment.
Date1833-1988
Century19th, 20th
Keywords
Note

A descriptive list for this collection is available here.

Repository NameUCD Archives
AddressJames Joyce Library UCD Belfield Dublin 4
EircodeD04 R7R0
Telephone(01) 716-7555
Email Addressarchives@ucd.ie
Repository Web Addresswww.ucd.ie/archives
latitude53.30671
longitude-6.22347