Miscellaneous Subject Files, 1757-1995

Component identifier:

Series 23

Content Summary:

Although this series contains subject matter dating from the mid-eighteenth century to the late twentieth century, the earlier material is mostly photocopies of original documents. The material is fairly evenly distributed throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and covers a wide range of subjects, primarily on Irish and Catholic topics both in Australia and overseas. The series has been divided into three broad subheadings: Catholic, Irish and Miscellaneous. There is some overlap between Irish and Catholic material; Files have been placed according to their primary subject group.

The South American Catholic correspondence (Files 32-42) was copied by O'Farrell because he had a PhD candidate in Spanish and South American Studies interested in the subject.

The St Patrick's Day celebration material (Files 91-109) is a small part of a major collection on St Patrick's Day and 12 July (the anniversary of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne) in Australia that remains in the hands of O'Farrell's family. The collection consists of photocopies covering the years 1830-1970s and was compiled by research assistants. His 2002 history of St Patrick's Day drew on the relevant published material.

The St. Mary's Cathedral marriage statistics files (Files 79-90) were extracted in the 1970s from St. Mary's Baptism records by a research assistant for an article on 'mixed' marriages that never came to fruition.

The originals of the Cullen-Kirby correspondence (File 44) were from the Irish College archives. The correspondence was used by Cardinal Moran in his three- volume edition of Cullen's correspondence and was in St Mary's archives when O'Farrell copied it. It was also used by Father P. Ford at some stage and may since have been returned to Ireland or Rome.

Immediate source of acquisition:

The Library purchased the original instalment of papers from O'Farrell in June 1980. O'Farrell donated subsequent consignments to the Library in August 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 and in 2000. Other papers were purchased from O'Farrell in 1998 and 1999. Material acquired in May 1984 and in February 1998 pertaining to Dr Albert Dryer has been transferred to the papers of Albert Dryer (MS 6610).Further material was added to the O'Farrell Papers in 2006.

Subjects:

Academic
History

Contents

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