Maids of the Mountain Ladies Hockey Club (c.1918-2000)

Repository: Dublin City Archives

Identity Statement

TitleMaids of the Mountain Ladies Hockey Club (c.1918-2000)
Archive ReferenceIE DCLA/DCSA1
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/maids-mountain-ladies-hockey-club-1918-2000
Creation Dates[c1918]-5 December 2000
Extent Medium25 archive boxes; 4825 items

Context

Creator(s): Maids of the Mountains Hockey Club Three Rock Ladies Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club (Ladies)

  • Administrative History ↴

    The Maids of the Mountain Ladies’ Hockey Club was founded in 1918 by Hilda O’Reilly (1898-1962; later Martin). It merged with Three Rock Rovers Men’s Hockey Club in 1999 to become Three Rock Ladies, having shared facilities at the Rovers’ Grange Road, Rathfarnham complex since 1988. The founders were ‘maids’ (wives, girlfriends, sisters or daughters) of Three Rock Rovers players, whose grounds faced the Three Rock Mountain. The operetta Maid of the Mountains by Harold Fraser-Simpson was being performed in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, August 1918; hence the club name was adapted to Maids of the Mountain. Hilda O’Reilly and the dozen or so founders were members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment serving during World War I (many of their relatives were serving soldiers). They founded Maids to counter the ‘closed nature’ of ladies hockey in 1918, when only past pupils or employees could join existing teams. Hilda was Maids president from 1935-1962. The team’s colours were a purple tunic with a mauve shirt, said to match that of heather on the mountains; lilac socks were added after 1959, and a wrap skirt replaced the tunic in the 1970s. Maids’ first grounds were shared with Three Rock Rovers, Foxrock between 1934-1986 they participated in the Men’s Hockey Union Templeogue grounds and pavilion scheme, where pitches were divided among a number of teams. When these grounds were sold in 1985/1986, Maids hired available pitches before moving to Grange Road. The club was administered by a President, Vice-Presidents, Captain, Club Secretary, Treasurer, General Committee (managing the finances and affairs of the club), Selection Committee and other committees (e.g. social, fund-raising). These were elected at the Maids’ Annual General Meeting. Membership consisted of the following categories: full, schoolgirl, pavilion, honorary, associate, veteran, and overseas. The club’s teams were also divided into a number of levels: Senior A & B (from 1990), Intermediate A (from 1965) & B (from 1988), Junior A & B (from 1985), Middle A (from 1974) & B (from 1990) and Minor (from 1974). When Maids moved to Grange Road in 1988, it became part of a Joint Executive with Three Rock Rovers, holding monthly committee meetings. Maids was affiliated with the Leinster Ladies’ Hockey Union. In 1920 it won the Irish Senior Cup, the Leinster Senior Cup and the Leinster Senior League; in 1923 the Irish Junior Cup. A complete list of Maids League and Cup victories can be found in The Lilac Years, pp. 32, 28. 32 Maids would play for the Irish ladies’ hockey team and founder Hilda O’Reilly was its captain in the 1920s. Maids toured regularly in Britain, in particular for the annual festival in Llandudno, Wales (1955-1987). International tours have included Germany (1937, 1982, 1986), Holland (late 1940s-early 1950s, 1970, mid-1970s, 1977-1979, 1983), USA (1981), Canada (1981, 1984), and Zimbabwe and South Africa (1997).
  • Archival History ↴

    Papers maintained by Maids of the Mountain Hockey Club until transfer to Dublin City Council in Spring 2010. Deposited by Hilary McDonagh for Three Rock Ladies Hockey Club, formerly Maid of the Mountains Hockey Club, Spring 2010.
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Permanent Loan

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Maids of the Mountains Hockey Club Three Rock Ladies Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club (Ladies) ↴

    There is a lot of repetition in the Maids archive, with incomplete runs of series in one collection supplemented by incomplete runs in another (e.g. minutes, newsletters). The largest and most complete series are the files generated by the Club Captain (1969-1999) and Club Secretary (1970-1999), who were de facto administrators of the club. The one series that goes back to the foundation of the Club, with gaps, is that of the Club Treasurer (1919-1965, 1991-1999), which includes ledgers, a subscription book, bank pass books, cash books and files.
    Other series include the club minute books (1935-1985); the Presidents’ papers (1988-1992); the minute books and files of the General Committee and its sub-committees (1978-2000); material relating to Maids search for a permanent home (1972-1986), its’ relationship with Three Rock Rovers (1984-1999) (ultimately leading to the 1999 merger), accounts and minutes of the Joint Executive Committee (1988-1997); material relating to Maids/Three Rock Ladies fund-raising (1986-1999) and social events (1994-2007); public relations documentation (1987-1990); photographs (1918-2000), memorabilia and artefacts (1919-2000), and external publications (1968-1996).

    Many of the items in the archive were compiled for the publication of Maids history The Lilac Years; material specifically generated by that volume covers the period (1999-2000). Electronic records, primarily related to Lilac years, have been migrated.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Duplicate material within files has been removed.
  • Arrangement ↴

    Largely arranged according to club hierarchy as listed in Annual General Meeting minutes and club constitution:
    DCSA1/1 Executive management (1934-1999)
    DCSA1/2 General Committee (1978-1998)
    DCSA1/3 Maids and Three Rock Rovers: grounds, merger and Joint Executive Committee (1972-1999)
    DCSA1/4 Club Captain (1969-1999)
    DCSA1/5 Club Secretary (1970-1999)
    DCSA1/6 Club Treasurer (1919-1999)
    DCSA1/7 Fund-raising (1986-1999)
    DCSA1/8 Social (1968-2007)
    DCSA1/9 Public relations (1987-1990)
    DCSA1/10 Photographs (1918-2008)
    DCSA1/11 Memorabilia, artefacts and other historical items (1919-2000)
    DCSA1/12 The lilac years (1971-2000)
    DCSA1/13 External publications (1968-1990)

    Documents within files have been kept in their original order. All items removed from ring binders unless noted.

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Available to view by members of the public who apply for a research card at the Dublin City Library & Archives Reading Room. Access to documents that include personal information is withheld for 75 years
Conditions Governing ReproductionReproduction is subject to the Dublin City Library & Archives Reading Room ‘Terms of Membership’, and in accordance with copyright legislation. Publication is by permission of the City Archivist.
Creation Dates[c1918]-5 December 2000
Extent Medium25 archive boxes; 4825 items
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Characteristics Tech ReqThe archive includes zip discs, floppy discs and recordable CDs generated during the making of The Lilac Years. These have been migrated, though some files are unreadable.
Finding Aids Descriptive List Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialSee also Three Rock Rovers Archive held at Dublin City Sports at Dublin City Library and Archive
Publication NoteMcDonagh, H. (2010). The maids who made it : history of Maids of the Mountain Hockey Club. Talk. Sport and the City seminar, Dublin City Library and Archive, September 11. Transcript online : www.dublinheritage.ie/media/maids_of_the_mountain_text.html [accessed 16 August 2011] McKeown, O., & McDonagh, H. (2000). The lilac years : a history of Maids of the Mountain Hockey Club, 1918-1999.

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteDarragh O’Donoghue, Oct-Dec 2011.
Rules/ConventionsIGAD: Irish Guidelines for Archival Description. Dublin: Society of Archivists, Ireland, 2009.
Date of Descriptions17 October-16 December 2011