Have you ever had a look at any of the archives of the various universities in Ireland?
I’m just after stopping at the Archives of the National University of Galway Library (James Hardiman Library). I’ve never done that before but, here I am and what have they got?
Civi Records – clicking on the link I get “Copies of statements made before the Council of Galway in relation to land-holding in the Province of Connacht. 26 September 1588” then I get a list of the Freemen of the town of Galway in 1720…..and as I click on each image to see the next, I find more interesting things – too many to list.
If I click on the image for the O’Connor Donelan Collection then I begin with a photo of Thomas O’Conor Donelan at about 3 yrs old, a talk on land, then a lease of 1846….more interesting material.
I haven’t actually checked to see if I can read these pages or if they can be enlarged but I do know where to go if I wanted to see the originals.
The Michael Cusack Collection : photograph of Michael c. 1870. Who was Michael Cusack I hear some of you ask, well – he was the founder of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and as such should really be of some interest to an awful lot of sportsmen. The minutes of the Dublin Hurling Club 1883 and lots more in this collection.
The Ritchie-Pickow collection: a photograph of the Makem family and their neighbours, taken by George Pickow at their home in Keady, County Armagh.March 1952. The collection consists of sound recordings and photographs taken by the American folk song collector Jean Ritchie and her husband the photographer George Pickow during a field trip in 1952-53
Now that would be of interest to anyone with a musical family who may have been interviewed, photographs from all parts of Ireland.
Finally, from the 1970’s they have the “Diary of Brendan Duddy, describing outcome of meetings with British representatives and Irish Republicans. June 1975”
All in all, just these few items, a really interesting collection to be accessed. I hope some of you go there and find more interesting items