Capuchin Archives, Ireland

Capuchin Archives, Ireland Provincial Archivist Irish Capuchin Provincial Archives

Address:
Capuchin Friary,
Church Street,
Dublin 7. The entire collection is currently being processed.

Telephone: +00353 (0)1 8730599 (ext. 25)

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.capuchinfranciscans.ie/

Enquiries to: Provincial Archivist

Access: 10.00-13.00, 14.00-17.00, Mon.-Fri., by advance appointment only. Major Collections

The archives contain the records of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in Ireland from 1615 to circa 1980, with the bulk of the

papers relating to individual Capuchin Franciscans, Capuchin administration in the Irish Province, sermon and retreat notes and various sodalities and tertiaries. The collection is divided into two sections – historical (pre-provincial) and contemporary (dating to the post-1885 period and the re-establishment of the Irish Capuchin Province). Principal collections include:

Records relating to Capuchin houses in the dioceses of Dublin, Cork, Ossory and Raphoe and to overseas missions undertaken by Irish Capuchins in New Zealand (Wellington and Auckland), Australia (New South Wales) and the United States (thirteen houses in California and one house in Oregon), and in Africa (fourteen houses in Zambia and one house in South Africa). Correspondence between the Minister General of the Order, congregations of the Roman Curia, the Holy See and the Irish Province
Provincial and General Chapter meetings. Novitiate registers and papers. Material on studies and formation. Records of sodalities including the Third Order of St. Francis; Total Abstinence Association; Guard of Honour of the Blessed Sacrament; Sacred Heart Sodality; Archconfraternity of St. Anthony of Padua; Confraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Personal papers and polemical writings of Fr. Arthur O’Leary, OFM Cap. and Fr. Theobald Mathew, OFM Cap., the ‘Apostle of Temperance’. Correspondence and papers of Fr. Albert Bibby, OFM Cap., Fr. Dominic O’Connor, OFM Cap., and other Capuchins involved in ministering to court-martialed insurgent leaders following the Easter Rising. This collection includes contemporary republican pamphlets, newspapers, handbills, photographs, correspondence and other documents relating to the War of Independence, the Treaty and the Civil War. Rare books (including incunabula) written by Capuchins or of interest to the Order, reference works, books by members of the Irish Province and publications by the Order in Ireland (including full series of The Father Mathew Record and The Capuchin Annual). Works of art (including original works by Richard King). Artefacts (including a large collection of printing blocks, framed historical banners and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century chalices and devotional objects). Maps and plans of properties held by the Capuchin Order in Ireland from the seventeenth century onwards. Photographic collections.

Holy Cross Abbey, County Tipperary A nineteenth century aquatint print and text snippet detailing the ruined interior of...
03/06/2026

Holy Cross Abbey, County Tipperary

A nineteenth century aquatint print and text snippet detailing the ruined interior of Holy Cross Abbey in County Tipperary. The text notes that Holy Cross Abbey was a renowned Cistercian house famous for holding a purported sacred relic of the True Cross presented by Pope Paschal II. Founded by the Cistercians in 1182 under the patronage of King Dónal Mór Ó Briain, Holy Cross Abbey quickly grew into a major medieval pilgrimage centre. The abbey entered a golden architectural age in the fifteenth century under the wealthy Butlers of Ormond, who funded its exquisite stone carvings and rib-vaulted ceilings.

Following the sixteenth-century Dissolution of the Monasteries, the abbey gradually fell into neglect. In the aftermath of the mid-seventeenth-century Cromwellian conquest, the abbey was completely abandoned and unroofed. Local families began using the exposed, roofless interior of the church as a community burial ground (as depicted by the scattered gravestones in the historic print).

In 1969, Dáil Éireann passed a unique law (the Holy Cross Abbey Act) allowing for a designated National Monument to be fully restored as an active place of Catholic worship. Between 1970 and 1975, a large-scale project executed by regional craftsmen used traditional Irish oak and stone to fully restore the historic building. Today, Holy Cross Abbey serves as a fully functioning parish church and notable cultural landmark.

The illustration is taken from a bound volume containing clippings of articles and accounts of various Irish castles, abbeys, and topographical features. The volume was later acquired by the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’. (Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/holy-cross-abbey-county-tipperary)

Republican Group, Kilkenny, 1917 A noteworthy group of prominent republicans in this image taken in Kilkenny in 1917. Th...
01/06/2026

Republican Group, Kilkenny, 1917

A noteworthy group of prominent republicans in this image taken in Kilkenny in 1917. The caption underneath identifies the subjects from left to right across both rows. It reads as follows:

‘Back row left to right — Dan McCarthy. Darrell Figgis. Most Rev Dr Brown. Ald Tom Kelly — Fleming, E DeValera, Sean Milroy.
Front Row — Lawrence Ginnell. Countess Markievicz. Wm Cosgrave. Mrs Ginnell.
Taken 1917’.

The group includes Constance Markievicz, a revolutionary nationalist, suffragette, and the first woman elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons (though she did not take her seat). Daniel McCarthy was a prominent Dublin-born republican organizer and sports administrator, serving as the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1921 to 1924. Laurence Ginnell was a Westmeath-born lawyer, author, and politician, famously known as the ‘most jailed MP in British history’ due to his frequent political arrests. His wife, Alice Ginnell, was a dedicated Cumann na mBan activist and organizer who served as an election agent for her husband during the historic 1918 general election. William T. Cosgrave later served as the first President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Éamon de Valera, who had recently been released from prison following the 1916 Rising, went on to become Taoiseach and President of Ireland. Darrell Figgis was a writer, intellectual, and nationalist who helped draft the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State.

Seán Milroy was a republican journalist and Sinn Féin organizer who was imprisoned multiple times, supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty, and later served as a TD and Senator for the Irish Free State. Alderman Tom Kelly was a dedicated Dublin municipal politician who served as an anti-Treaty Sinn Féin TD, survived political internment, and later became a prominent Fianna Fáil Senator. The Most Reverend Dr. Robert Browne was a Catholic prelate who served as the President of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth before a long, influential tenure as the Bishop of Cloyne from 1894 until his death in 1935.

The image forms part of a bound photographic volume compiled by the editors of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/constance-markievicz-eamon-de-valera-and-republican-group-in-kilkenny)

Carlisle Building, Eucharistic Congress, Dublin, 1932 A photograph of an enormous crowd at the junction of D’Olier Stree...
29/05/2026

Carlisle Building, Eucharistic Congress, Dublin, 1932

A photograph of an enormous crowd at the junction of D’Olier Street and Burgh Quay attending the benediction service on the closing day of the thirty-first International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin on 26 June 1932. The prominent structure on the right is the Carlisle Building (historically known as Carlisle House), an iconic Georgian architectural set piece built around 1800. Its construction was originally authorised by the Wide Streets Commissioners as a means of establishing a symmetrical, imposing visual gateway where D’Olier Street and Westmoreland Street funnel out onto the River Liffey quays.

Over the years, the building’s highly visible street frontage was modified, and it was later heavily adorned with large, painted product signboards and advertisements due to its prime location at one of the busiest bridge crossings in Dublin. Signs for the ‘Irish Independent’ and its sister title the ‘Evening Herald’ are visible in this image. By the mid-twentieth century, the Carlisle building had fallen into disrepair, and it was acquired by a property developer. The landmark building was controversially demolished in 1962 to make way for O’Connell Bridge House, and twelve-storey concrete-and-glass tower which opened in 1965.

The photograph forms part of an image collection assembled by the editors of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (Image Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/benediction-service-eucharistic-congress-oconnell-bridge-dublin-2)

O’Connell Centenary RecordA copy of the ‘O’Connell Centenary Record’, an elaborate, luxury-bound commemorative book publ...
25/05/2026

O’Connell Centenary Record

A copy of the ‘O’Connell Centenary Record’, an elaborate, luxury-bound commemorative book published to document the public celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O’Connell in 1875. The O’Connell centenary committee issued a prospectus in August 1875, with the fully compiled volume officially published in 1878.

Daniel O’Connell (‘The Liberator’) was born on 6 August 1775. His 1875 centenary saw immense public parades, banquets, and political rallies across Ireland, particularly in Dublin. The ‘Centenary Record’ serves both as a historical text and a physical monument to O’Connell’s legacy. It provides a definitive chronicle of the 1875 festival proceedings, speeches, and international tributes. The text also details O’Connell’s major political crusades, including his campaign for Catholic Emancipation in 1829, his push for the Repeal of the Act of Union, and his focus on educational and social reforms in Ireland. The ornate title pages and primary artwork were crafted by John O’Hea (c.1838-1922), a prominent nineteenth century political cartoonist and illustrator.

The volume also includes a nice engraving of the O’Connell Tower in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. The tower was built in 1855 to commemorate the Irish nationalist leader. O’Connell had founded Glasnevin Cemetery in 1832 as a place in which both Catholics and Protestants could give their dead a dignified burial.

The ‘O’Connell Centenary Record’ volume forms part of a library collection assembled by the editors of ‘The Capuchin Annual’.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, 1890 A late-nineteenth century engraving of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. St. Pa...
22/05/2026

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, 1890

A late-nineteenth century engraving of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. St. Patrick’s serves as the National Cathedral of the Anglican Church of Ireland. It stands on a site where Saint Patrick is traditionally believed to have baptized early Christian converts in the fifth century. Founded in 1191, the present English Gothic stone structure was primarily built between 1220 and 1260. Over its long history, the cathedral transitioned from Catholic to Protestant control during the Reformation.

The cathedral is famously linked to Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), the author of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, who served as its dean from 1713 until his death and is buried within its walls. Facing severe decay by the nineteenth century, the iconic building was saved from near-collapse through a massive, privately funded restoration by Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness (1798-1868), a businessman, philanthropist, and politician, best known for running the eponymously named brewery. Guinness personally funding the entire cost of the 1860s restoration of St. Patrick’s preserving its legacy as the largest cathedral in Ireland.

The illustration forms part of a clipping volume acquired by the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (Record Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/st-patrick-s-cathedral-dublin)

Ruins of Mellifont Abbey, County Louth A somewhat Tolkienesque view of the ruined Mellifont Abbey in County Louth in thi...
21/05/2026

Ruins of Mellifont Abbey, County Louth

A somewhat Tolkienesque view of the ruined Mellifont Abbey in County Louth in this postcard from about 1930. Founded in 1142 by Saint Malachy, Mellifont Abbey was Ireland’s first Cistercian monastery. It flourished until 1539, when Henry VIII dissolved the abbey and the property was converted into a heavily fortified Tudor mansion. This converted estate later took centre stage in major military conflicts, acting as the site where the Treaty of Mellifont was signed to end the Nine Years’ War in 1603, and later serving as William of Orange’s headquarters during the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Following its abandonment in the eighteenth century, the abbey’s structures were largely dismantled for local building materials, leaving behind the historic, protected ruins seen today. On the left in the image stands a tall, three-story stone gatehouse tower with an arched entryway. Centered in the foreground is the prominent, octagonal stone lavabo (monastic washing area) featuring distinct Romanesque arches. Various crumbling stone walls, foundations, and other structures are spread across the rugged, grassy landscape. The Mellifont site is now a designated national monument managed by the Office of Public Works. (Record Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/ruins-of-mellifont-abbey-county-louth-2)

Éamon de Valera, ‘News Review’, 1946 The cover of ‘New Review’ from 3 January 1946 showing an illustration of Éamon de V...
20/05/2026

Éamon de Valera, ‘News Review’, 1946

The cover of ‘New Review’ from 3 January 1946 showing an illustration of Éamon de Valera. The caption reads ‘Éire’s De Valera / The republican became the uncrowned king’. ‘News Review’ was an influential mid-twentieth-century weekly publication published in London. Dubbed ‘the First British Newsmagazine’, it heavily mirrored the layout, visual aesthetics, and editorial style of contemporary American publications like ‘Time’ and ‘Newsweek’. The ‘News Review’ magazine ceased publication in 1950.

The magazine cover forms part of a bound photographic and clipping volume covering Éamon de Valera’s life and career assembled by the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/cover-of-news-review-featuring-eamon-de-valera)

Strongbow’s Tomb, Christ Church Cathedral, DublinA postcard image of Strongbow’s tomb located inside Christ Church Cathe...
19/05/2026

Strongbow’s Tomb, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

A postcard image of Strongbow’s tomb located inside Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The postcard dates to about 1930. Strongbow was the famous name given to Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (c.1130-1176), the influential Cambro-Norman nobleman and soldier who effectively initiated the Norman conquest of Ireland in the late twelfth century.

While the photograph shows what is popularly known as Strongbow’s final resting place, the original twelfth-century effigy was destroyed when the cathedral’s south wall collapsed in 1562. The figure seen today is a fourteenth-century replacement or substitute brought from Drogheda to preserve the historic monument. The life-sized stone effigy shows a knight lying on top of a large, elevated tomb. The figure is depicted in full chainmail armour, resting flat on his back with hands positioned near the chest or shield area. As a significant heritage site located in the heart of Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral is a popular tourist attraction in the Irish capital.

The postcard print forms of an image collection assembled by the editors of ‘The Capuchin Annual’. (Record Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/strongbows-tomb-christ-church-cathedral-dublin)

Holy Year Commemorative Illustration, 1950 A striking commemorative postcard for the 1950 Catholic Holy Year (‘Anno Sant...
18/05/2026

Holy Year Commemorative Illustration, 1950

A striking commemorative postcard for the 1950 Catholic Holy Year (‘Anno Santo’) in Rome. The illustration features stylised images of the Vatican obelisk and Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Italian text reads ‘Possa questo anno veramente santo essere per l’umana famiglia annunziatore di una nuova era di pace, di prosperità, di progresso’ which translates as ‘May this truly holy year be for the human family the herald of a new era of peace, prosperity, and progress’.

The Holy Year of 1950 was a year of special devotion in the Catholic Church proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in his papal bull ‘Jubilaeum maximum’ (The Great Jubilee) on 26 May 1949. The Jubilee invited Catholics to visit Rome for spiritual renewal, peace, and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Second World War.

From an artistic perspective, the postcard’s composition employs the characteristic Italian Rationalist style popular in mid-century travel literature. It emphasizes bold geometric lines, minimalist figures, and dramatic architectural scale to convey a sense of peaceful permanence and spiritual renewal. The Holy Year of 1950 is now widely seen as heralding the dawn of modern mass religious tourism, drawing millions of pilgrims to the Eternal City.

The postcard forms part of an ephemera collection assembled by the editor of ‘The Capuchin Annual’ (Record Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/holy-year-postcard)

Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo, 1964A view of Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo in about 1964. Founded in 1216 by Catha...
15/05/2026

Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo, 1964

A view of Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo in about 1964. Founded in 1216 by Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair (Cathal the Red-handed O’Conor), the King of Connacht, Ballintubber Abbey is famously known as ‘the Abbey that refused to die’. It holds the unique distinction of being the only church in Ireland where Mass has been celebrated continuously for over eight hundred years, despite being suppressed and partially destroyed during the Cromwellian conquest in the seventeenth century.

The site’s religious history predates the abbey itself, going back to 441 AD when Saint Patrick reputedly established a church and baptized converts at a nearby well. The abbey also marks the beginning of the ‘Tóchar Phádraig’, an ancient thirty-five-kilometre pilgrim path that leads to the summit of Croagh Patrick.

Ballintubber Abbey was originally built in the Hiberno-Romanesque style, later incorporating Gothic elements like pointed arches after a fire in about 1265. Major restoration work on the ruined building commenced in the mid-nineteenth century but this was halted by the Great Famine. The nave was finally re-roofed in 1966 for the abbey’s 750th anniversary. The photograph dates from this period of major restoration in the twentieth century, documenting the efforts to preserve the abbey’s unique Romanesque and Gothic architectural heritage. Today, Ballintubber Abbey is a major tourist attraction in County Mayo, welcoming over thirty thousand visitors and pilgrims annually.

(Record Identifier: https://catholicarchives.ie/index.php/ballintubber-abbey-county-mayo)

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