Joe Humphreys: Ireland's Franciscan Library Obtains Early Drafts of Constitution With de Valera Papers
Early drafts of the 1937 Constitution and secret British intelligence reports allegedly "suppressed" after the 1916 Rising are among the documents contained in a newly catalogued collection of papers belonging to Eamon de Valera.
The papers were donated by the former taoiseach and president in his will to the Franciscan Library in Killiney, Co Dublin, which in turn transferred them for safekeeping to University College Dublin in 1998.
It is only now, however, that a full catalogue has been completed of the 200 boxes of public and private material.
UCD principal archivist Seamus Helferty said that while the collection was in good physical order "the size of it was a challenge".
Some of the most revealing files relate to de Valera's fundraising tour of the United States in 1919-20, and papers showing the former Fianna Fail leader's thought-processes on Bunreacht na hEireann.
"You have successive drafts of the Constitution and a lot of correspondence and discussion documents. You can trace the evolution of the thing, and various changes of mind," said Mr Helferty.
The papers were donated by the former taoiseach and president in his will to the Franciscan Library in Killiney, Co Dublin, which in turn transferred them for safekeeping to University College Dublin in 1998.
It is only now, however, that a full catalogue has been completed of the 200 boxes of public and private material.
UCD principal archivist Seamus Helferty said that while the collection was in good physical order "the size of it was a challenge".
Some of the most revealing files relate to de Valera's fundraising tour of the United States in 1919-20, and papers showing the former Fianna Fail leader's thought-processes on Bunreacht na hEireann.
"You have successive drafts of the Constitution and a lot of correspondence and discussion documents. You can trace the evolution of the thing, and various changes of mind," said Mr Helferty.