The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association, Ayrfield, Dublin 13, was established in 1996 to commemorate all Irish men and women who volunteered, served and died in the First World War 1914-1918. The collection was transferred to Dublin City Library from the RDFA in 2015. For this reason the RDFA have been credited in the “creator” field of the fonds level description. The items relate to the life of Patrick Dolan and his service in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
Private Patrick Dolan was born in Francis Street, in the Liberties Area of Dublin on the 14 March 1890. His parish church was St. Catherine’s. Before Paddy enlisted into the army he was employed as a grocer’s porter. On 6 July 1908 he joined the 1st Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Patrick served in Madras, India, which was the headquarters of the 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers at the time. He also served in Poona and Ahmednagar in India in 1910. The 1st Battalion left for England at the outbreak of the war and was stationed in Torquay for a short time.
Patrick Dolan was with the 1st Battalion when they landed at ‘V’ Beach in Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The landing at ‘V’ Beach saw some of the most horrific fighting and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers sustained heavy casualties. While stationed at Gallipoli Patrick suffered a bullet wound to the head. He was evacuated from the peninsula on the 24 September 1915. He was treated at the Ear and Throat Hospital at the Golden Square in London. Patrick Dolan was discharged from the army on the 24 March 1916. His discharge papers cite that he was no longer physically fit for war service.
On the 31st of August 1919 Patrick Dolan married Mary Geraghty (born 28 September 1899) in St Andrews Church. Patrick Dolan died in 1953. He is buried in Deansgrange cemetery, Dublin.
(Note: Researched and written by Tom Burke MBE, Chairman, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association, 15 October 2000.)
Archival History ↴
Papers were donated to Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association in 1998 the son of Private Patrick Dolan. The collection was transferred to Dublin City Library and Archive via Tom Burke (chairman, RDFA) in December 2015. It was catalogued by Cillian Fearon, intern at Dublin City Library and Archives.
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Donation
Content & Structure
Scope & Content: Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association ↴
Collection consists of material donated to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association by the son of Private Patrick Dolan. It includes personal artefacts, military memorabilia, and a small collection of wartime postcards. The last file in the collection contains laminated material to accompany the exhibition of the collection, including laminated caption cards.
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention
Arrangement ↴
Collection is listed at the file and item level. It is arranged in chronological order. The collection is relatively small and expanding the listing to series level would cause unnecessary complication. Reproduced material has been inserted based on the date of its content, not of its reproduction.
Conditions of Access & Use
Access Conditions
Available to view by public who apply for research card in Dublin City Library and Archive Reading Room, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin.
Conditions Governing Reproduction
The terms of the Copyright and Related Acts (2000) allows DCLA to provide photocopies of material for research purposes only.
IGAD: Irish Guidelines for Archival Description. Dublin: Society of Archivists, Ireland, 2009.
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
