Kathleen Clarke Memoirs

Repository: National Library of Ireland

Identity Statement

TitleKathleen Clarke Memoirs
Archive ReferenceIE leDuNL MS/ 49,883/1-43
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/khleen-clarke-memoirs
Creation Dates1897-1967
Extent Medium4 boxes

Context

Creator(s): Clarke, Kathleen, 1878-1972

  • Administrative History ↴

    Born in Limerick, Kathleen Clarke (née Daly) was a Republican activist, founding member of Cumann na mBan, Fianna Fáil T.D. and wife of 1916 executed leader Tom Clarke. She died in September 1972 and is buried in Deansgrange Cemetery, Dublin.

  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Unknown

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Clarke, Kathleen, 1878-1972 ↴

    Manuscript and typescript drafts of the memoirs of republican Kathleen Clarke (née Daly) in which she recalls her early life in Limerick, the Fenian tradition within her family, her meeting and marriage to veteran Fenian Tom Clarke, his participation in the Easter Rising, his subsquent execution, her own imprisonment in Holloway Jail and her political career with Sinn Féin and later Fianna Fáil. Contains both notebooks and typescript sheets.

    The collection includes some additional papers written and compiled by Clarke, notably newscuttings, ephemera and correspondence dating from the Easter Rising and War of Independence (including copy letters from Constance Markievicz to Clarke written during her imprisonment in Cork Jail), letters from Fianna Fáil party activists relating to her opposition to the 1937 Constitution and her correspondence with Eamon de Valera, John A. Costello and Sean Lemass on the plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

    Also includes several letters from Countess Markievicz.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention

  • Arrangement ↴

    The collection is arranged as follows: I. Draft memoirs; II. Correspondence. III. Other Papers.

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Access with a valid National Library of Ireland reader's ticket.
Conditions Governing ReproductionSubject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 2000, this collection remains in copyright. It is necessary to obtain the express permission of the copyright owner before reproducing any material from this collection.
Creation Dates1897-1967
Extent Medium4 boxes
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Finding Aids An item level catalogue is available online. Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialClarke's memoirs were published as 'Revolutionary Woman, Kathleen Clarke 1878-1972, An Autobiography' by the O'Brien Press in 1991.

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteF. Hughes
Rules/ConventionsNLI guidelines based on ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000, and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
Date of Descriptions42156