Fine Gael Constituency Archives P39/C
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FINE GAEL CONSTITUENCY ARCHIVES P39/C UCD Archives School of History and Archives archives @ucd.ie www.ucd.ie/archives T + 353 1 716 7555 F + 353 1 716 1146 © 2005 University College Dublin. All rights reserved ii INTRODUCTORY NOTE v FINE GAEL CONSTITUENCY ARCHIVES: CARLOW-KILKENNY, 1954-75 1 CLARE, 1954-75 15 CLARE-SOUTH GALWAY, 1969-74 23 CORK, 1954-75 27 DONEGAL, 1954-74 47 DONEGAL-LEITRIM, 1970-75 57 DUBLIN, 1952-70 61 DUBLIN, 1971-75 103 GALWAY, 1954-75 139 KERRY, 1954-75 157 KILDARE, 1954-75 167 LAOIS-OFFALY, 1954-75 173 LIMERICK, 1954-75 187 LONGFORD-WESTMEATH, 1954-74 199 iii LOUTH, 1954-75 211 MAYO, 1954-75 217 MEATH, 1954-75 231 MONAGHAN, 1954-75 237 ROSCOMMON, 1954-60 243 ROSCOMMON-LEITRIM, 1961-75 249 SLIGO-LEITRIM, 1954-75 259 TIPPERARY NORTH, 1954-75 273 TIPPERARY SOUTH, 1954-75 283 WATERFORD, 1954-75 293 WEXFORD, 1954-75 301 WICKLOW, 1954-75 309 iv INTRODUCTORY NOTE The Fine Gael constituency files which are the subject of this list, were transferred to UCD Archives in April 1978 as part of a larger accession of Party archives. Other series within the collection previously listed and made available include minutes of the parliamentary party, 1929-49, and other bodies such as the Stranding Committee/Coiste Gnotha, 1922-25 and 1933-45 [P39/MIN]; general election records, 1932- 73 [P39/GE]; and records of presidential elections and constitutional referenda, 1945-73 [P39/PR]. The constituency files are headquarters records which document the relationship between headquarters and individual constituencies over a period of twenty years from 1954; and reflect the state of party organisation at both local and national level. Material within the files varies from the recurrent and banal, such as much correspondence concerning affiliation fees, to comprehensive reports from constituency conventions submitted to headquarters by the senior party figure delegated to attend. Standard and recurrent material in constituency files may include: Lists of officers in constituency and district executives and branches; Lists of branches, and material relating to the formation of new branches, registration and the payment of affiliation fees; Copies of branch annual reports and material relating to membership, finances and activities, and the party’s constitution and rules; Correspondence between the constituency executive and party headquarters on the level of organisation locally, and occasional reports from national organisers visiting the constituency; Documents relating to the election of executive and branch officers, the holding of meetings and conventions and the selection of election candidates; Material relating to the organisation and conduct of local and general election campaigns, presidential election campaigns and constitutional referenda; Constituency representation at Ard Fheiseanna; with material relating to motions, resolutions, delegates and reports; Form letters to constituents noting representations made by local T.D.s in respect of public works and improvements, transport and housing; Material concerning the organisation of social and fund- raising functions and collections. v On transfer this file series was organised by year, the files for each year arranged alphabetically, Carlow-Kilkenny to Wicklow. Since it appeared that the main focus from a research viewpoint would be on individual constituencies in the first instance, the files have been rearranged to provide a chronological series for each constituency. The one exception to this is Dublin, where the files for 1971-75 have been retained in an order primarily chronological, due mainly to the very large number of constituencies in the Dublin area, particularly after the revision of 1974. The descriptive content for the files for each constituency is preceded by a short note on the effects on that constituency of successive constituency reorganisations. During the period covered by these files there have been three major revisions: 1961, 1969 and 1974. These notes are abstracted largely from the invaluable The Magill Book of Irish Politics (1981) which contains much additional and insightful comment on the history, development and character of individual constituencies. Much of the initial reorganisation, description and numbering of the documents was carried out by students taking the Higher Diploma in Archival Studies in the session 1992-93. These were Mary Carr, Theresa Dearman, Aisling Dunne, Susan Em, Rachel Granville, John Kirwan, Teresa O’Donnell, and Rachel Scahill. Additional work in preparing the material for consultation has focused on consolidating their individual lists and preparing the files for microfilming. The opportunity has also been taken to eliminate very ephemeral material such as envelopes returned as undeliverable. This will account for gaps in the sub-numbering carried out in 1993. Seamus Helferty May 2005 vi CARLOW-KILKENNY CONSTITUENCY, 1954-75 I. CARLOW COUNTY EXECUTIVE 3 II. KILKENNY COUNTY EXECUTIVE 6 Carlow-Kilkenny has been a single five seat constituency since 1923, with the exception of the period 1935–47 when it was divided into two, Carlow-Kildare and Kilkenny. Parts of neighbouring counties were added in successive constituency reorganisations; but more recently the constituency has consisted of just the two counties. 1 2 P39/C/CW Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency: Carlow CARLOW-KILKENNY CONSTITUENCY, 1954-75 Standard and recurrent material in constituency files may include: Lists of officers in constituency and district executives and branches; Lists of branches, and material relating to the formation of new branches, registration and the payment of affiliation fees; Copies of branch annual reports and material relating to membership, finances and activities, and the party’s constitution and rules; Correspondence between the constituency executive and party headquarters on the level of organisation locally, and occasional reports from national organisers visiting the constituency; Documents relating to the election of executive and branch officers, the holding of meetings and conventions and the selection of election candidates; Material relating to the organisation and conduct of local and general election campaigns, presidential election campaigns and constitutional referenda; Constituency representation at Ard Fheiseanna; with material relating to motions, resolutions, delegates and reports; Form letters to constituents noting representations made by local T.D.s in respect of public works and improvements, transport and housing; The organisation of social and fund-raising functions and collections. I. CARLOW COUNTY EXECUTIVE 1 1954 3 items 2 1955 4 items 3 1956 Includes the schema of organisation of the constituency at present (1-5), and in 1948 (13-16). 18 items 4 [1957] Not present. ©UCDAD 2005 3 P39/C/CW Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency: Carlow 5 [1958] Not present. 6 1959 Includes material on the forthcoming presidential election and constitutional referendum (11, 12); reports on constituency organisation and lists of members (1-9); letter from Patrick J. Crotty, Chairman, Ayrfield branch, to Col Dineen, general secretary, reporting on a meeting in Carlow with ‘keymen and county councillors’ (10). 12 items 7 1960 Material concerning the forthcoming 1961 general election campaign in the constituency (18-22); and the Carlow- Kilkenny bye-election campaign, 1960 (15-17). 44 items 8 1961 21 items 9 1962 3 items 10 1963 Includes material relating to the Bunclody branch including a report by the national organiser (8-12). 13 items 11 1964 Includes a report on the schema of organisation in the county in 1959 and 1964 (6-12). 17 items 12 1965 20 items 13 1966 Includes correspondence with headquarters concerning party policy on the Irish language (6-9); and suggestions for the establishment of district executives in the county (15). 17 items ©UCDAD 2005 4 P39/C/CW Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency: Carlow 14 1967 23 items 15 1968 Lists including: members of the Standing Committee of Fine Gael, 1967-68 (21, 22) and chairmen and secretaries of Carlow branches (8-16). 30 items 16 1969 Schema of organisation of the county in 1964 (28-35) and 1969 (7-16). 35 items 17 1970 28 items 18 1971 Includes lists of officers of the four district executives (11-13). 18 items 19 1972 Schema of organisation of the county as at 9 June 1970 (15-26); notice of special convention to discuss E.E.C. entry (7). 26 items 20 1973 15 items 21 1974 10 items 22 1975 5 items ©UCDAD 2005 5 P39/C/KK Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency: Kilkenny II. KILKENNY COUNTY EXECUTIVE 1 1954 10 items 2 1955 Correspondence between Col Dineen, general secretary, and Seán McKenna, chair, Kilkenny county executive, concerning the ‘rebellion’ of the Piltown district executive; and correspondence concerning the controversial selection of Michael Kinsella as a candidate in Kilkenny (15-24). 36 items 3 1956 Correspondence concerning local feeling towards the party and letter from Seán McKenna to Dineen concerning the eulogy given by the Taoiseach, John A. Costello, for the late Thomas Walsh, [local Fianna Fáil T.D. and Minister for Agriculture, 1951-54] (13-15). 25 items 4 1957 Schemata of organisation of the county as at February 1953 (25- 31), December 1956 (17-23), and September 1957 (10-16). 31 items 5 1958 14 items 6 1959 5 items 7 1960 7 items 8 1961 Correspondence with party headquarters concerning the circumstances and controversy surrounding the selection of Francis O’Brien as an election candidate, including the calling of a special convention. 29 items ©UCDAD 2005 6 P39/C/KK Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency: Kilkenny 9 1962 Lists of ‘key men’ in each district. 19 items 10 1963 10 items 11 1964 14 items 12 1965 Letter from Seán McKenna to Col Dineen giving an analysis of election results throughout the country but with particular reference to North and South Tipperary (8-13). 13 items 13 1966 15 items 14 1967 9 items 15 1968 Correspondence with Mrs Rosaleen Crotty, chair of the Kilkenny City Ladies Branch and wife of Deputy Crotty, concerning the work of the ladies’ branches in the county and elsewhere, particularly during the East Limerick bye-election (3-20).