The Second President of Ireland, 1945 - 59O'Ceallaigh (Sean ...

Estimate

€4,000 - €6,000

The Second President of Ireland, 1945 - 59

O'Ceallaigh (Sean T.) A very important archive of photographic and other material relating to the various phases of his long career as a revolutionary, a diplomat, a dedicated Catholic, a Government Minister and for fourteen years President of Ireland.
The principal items include:

- An autograph note signed 'Cathal', in Irish, 30.1.19, about a document which Count Plunkett started but is unable to complete as he is unwell, etc., asks recipient (O'Kelly) to give it to his wife for translation to French, or to pass it to Piaras Beaslai, etc. Evidently relates to O'Kelly's activities in connection with the Peace Conference. The writer is almost certainly Cathal Brugha (the letter is on reverse of paper headed Lalor, Church Candle Manufacturers). With a later letter from Count Plunkett, 1924.
- Cemetery receipts apparently for interment of O'Kelly's parents.
- A good studio photo of two boys, one wearing kilt and brooch, circa 1900, inscribed rear 'Michael, Mattie' (probably O'Kelly's brothers, two of whom attended St. Enda's).
- Mounted studio photo of a lady, Keogh Bros., inscribed rear 'Mrs. Catherine O'Kelly' (O'Kelly's mother), with a similar unmounted photo..
- Two mounted photos showing Volunteers, circa 1915, one a group with bicycles, probably including O'Kelly.
- A good mounted Paris studio photograph of O'Kelly in formal wear, circa 1919, and an interesting photo showing O'Kelly probably in Paris with Gavan Duffy and a lady in Celtic dress.
- A good mounted studio photograph of Eamon de Valera circa 1920, by Sean Hurley.
- An interesting photo showing O'Kelly (second row) with an assembly including a Cardinal, several ladies, Count Plunkett in front row right, etc., circa 1920. (Some damage, no serious loss).
- A small brown photograph album containing photos of O'Kelly as a young man, with Cardinal Logue at the Irish College, Rome, May 1920, etc. (O'Kelly became ill in 1920, and convalesced for a period at the Irish College). Laid in is a small mounted photo of 'Cáit', possibly his first wife, and some other early photos.
- India and Ireland. An Address by Hon. Sean T. O Ceallaigh, Envoy of the Irish Republic, New York, December 10th 1924. Friends of Freedom for India, New York. Printed wrs, 12 pp, very scarce.
- A good American studio photograph of Muriel MacSwiney, widow of Terence MacSwiney, circa 1923-4.
- Mounted photo of a dinner in honour of Cardinal Mannix, O'Kelly in right hand corner.
- American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. Interesting letter from Patrick Morgan (1926) to O'Kelly, apparently tracing relations of his mother, with some other letters from or about his American relations.
- A press photograph showing O'Kelly with Sean Lemass and Dr James Ryan probably in Montreal, 1930s, undated.
- Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope). TLS, 1 pp, on Vatican headed paper, to Sean T. O'Ceallaigh, Tanaiste, Government of Ireland, 1938, thanking him for his kind and cordial letter of Christmas greeting, etc., framed.
- Invitation to Aras an Uachtaráin 1946 to Miss M. O'Kelly (sister of the President) signed Phillis Bean Uí Cheallaigh, headed 'For C. na mBan 1916', with two ALS from O'Kelly to his sister, and a small album of photographs with letter to his sister from O'Kelly.
- A Civil Aviation Private Pilot's License issued to Sean T. O'Kelly, Uachtarán na hEireann, 1954, with a covering letter from Sean Lemass, 3 April 1954, on official paper of Dept. of Industry and commerce, with a second letter dated 7 April, saying he will be appointed an Honorary Senior Captain of the (Aer Lingus) Fleet, and with a mounted photo showing O'Kelly at the controls of an aircraft. ( The circumstances are unclear, presumably O'Kelly took the controls for a few moments.)
- A small desk diary for 1956, apparently President O'Kelly's, in red boards, with very detailed engagements in his hand, showing how busy he was in his final year as President.
- A large untitled green morocco album of mainly Irish Press photographs, uncaptioned but carefully mounted, showing President and Mrs. O'Kelly in various settings, including elaborate military parades, probably marking his inauguration, and with various distinguished persons, including the Taoiseach Eamon de Valera, the Archbishop of Dublin Dr. McQuaid, etc., apparently circa 1945-50.
- A folio qtr. red cloth album, containing mainly photographs of President and Mrs. O'Kelly in informal poses in and around Aras an Uachtarain, mid/late 1940s.
- A literary scrapbook 1940-48, in a purple cloth album, containing cuttings by Sean O Faolain, Seumas O'Sullivan, Austin Clarke etc., carefully mounted, evidently by someone with time on his/her hands, possibly Phyllis O'Kelly's.
- Oliver Plunkett Union 1950. An album of mounted photographs with programme.
- A large leather-bound album titled 'Visit of the President of Ireland and Mrs. O'Kelly to the United States of America, 16th to 31st March 1959. Press Notices', chronicling his triumphal progress in detail, and also containing ephemera including an invitation and programme for an official Dinner with Vice President Nixon and Mrs. Nixon,, dinner menu at the White House, etc., with a smaller album containing coverage of his visit to Philadelphia, and another with Irish press cuttings relating to the same visit; also a leather mounted certificate and a book about New York presented to President O'Kelly by Robert F. Wagner, Mayor of the City of New York and signed by him; a small album of photographs showing O'Kelly at a function at Georgetown University, etc.
- An oblong photographic album titled 'A Ricordo della Gradita Visita di S.E. Sean T. O'Kelly alla Tomba di S. Colombano in Bobbio, 13 Maggio - Anno Santo 1950', by Studio Fotografico G. Fagnola, Bobbio, good quality photographs showing O'Kelly in formal dress with various personages etc. Leather covering of upper cover loose.
- Some loose photos of O'Kelly's state funeral, 1966.
- A green cloth album, binding shaken, containing captioned photos of American Cardinals-designate Stritch and Tien, Cardinal Glennon and others in Ireland with the Taoiseach Eamon De Valera, President O'Kelly and others, also a series of photos of the funeral of an unnamed prelate, 1946.
- An album of vinyl records titled 'Sean T. O'Kelly, President of Ireland, "Guest Conductor", American Trucking Associations Radio Program, Washington, March 15 1959'.
- An album of vinyl records inscribed to President O'Kelly by Lieut. Colonel George Salladi Harvard of the U.S.A.F. Band, Washington, with some unrelated discs laid in.
- A family album containing photographs of O'Kelly's funeral, news cuttings etc.
- A small collection of car pennants including American, Papal, Irish etc.
- Various loose photographs and cuttings, invitations, miscellaneous letters, etc. etc.

Sean T. Ó Ceallaigh [1882-1966] was the second President of Ireland, elected to succeed Douglas Hyde in 1945 and re-elected without opposition in 1952. O'Kelly was born in Dublin in 1882, the eldest son of a shoemaker. Two of his brothers were educated at Pearse's school St. Enda's. He joined the Gaelic League in 1898, and worked briefly at the National Library before he became business manager of the League's paper An Claidheamh Solais, and later National Secretary of the League. He joined the IRB in 1901, and was a founder member of Sinn Fein in 1905 and of the Irish Volunteers. He supervised the landing of arms at Kilcoole in 1915, and fought in the GPO as staff officer to Pearse. Afterwards he was imprisoned in Wandsworth and Frongoch.
He was elected to the First Dail, of which he became Ceann Comhairle, and was sent to Paris as an envoy to the Peace Conference in 1919. He was a devout Catholic, and in 1920 he secured a private audience with Pope Benedict to plead the Irish cause. He opposed the Treaty, was sent to the United States as a Republican envoy in 1924, and became Vice President of Fianna Fail in 1926. From 1932 he held a succession of senior ministries in Fianna Fail governments, and in 1946 he was elected President of Ireland in succession to Douglas Hyde. By then a very experienced politician and diplomat, he expanded the role of the Presidency substantially, and was much more active than Hyde (who was in a wheelchair for part of his term). In 1959 he was succeeded as President by his former leader Eamon de Valera. He married successively two sisters of Dr. James Ryan, Mary Catherine (who died young) and Phyllis, but had no children.

'Sean T.', as he was affectionately known, was a central figure in Irish and Republican politics for more than half a century His archive includes many items of considerable interest, some of which may repay further detailed study. (1)