News from Ireland: Collins’ Letters Donated to Irish State

A collection of letters between Irish freedom fighter Michael Collins and his fiancée Kitty Kiernan was donated to the Irish government in July. The 305 letters provide insights into the softer, less well-known side of Collins.

Peter Barry purchased the letters at a Dublin auction five years ago for £45,000. He stated that he did not think the collection would have remained in Ireland had his bid not been successful. “The bidding was carried out by telephone, and my hunch is that the next highest bidder to me was an American university,” he pointed out.

Barry donated the letters to the Cork Public Museum at Fitzgerald Park. ♦