This collection comprises the papers and correspondence of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee. The Committee was formed to raise funds to create a memorial to Kevin Barry (20 January 1902–1 November 1920). Barry, a medical student at University College Dublin, was executed for his part in an ambush which resulted in the deaths of three British Army officers. The Committee commissioned Harry Clarke Stained Glass Limited to create a stained glass window dedicated to Kevin Barry and the other students and graduates of University College Dublin who lost their lives in the struggle for Irish Independence. The window, designed by Richard King, was erected in Earlsfort Terrace and unveiled on 1 November 1934. In 2010, the window was conserved, restored and relocated in the Charles Institute at Belfield, the current campus of University College Dublin.
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Typed draft letter from Bourke, Students’ Representative Council, to an unspecified recipient, [possibly I.F. McInerney or I.F. Tierney?] concerning statements made in the Irish Independent newspaper and requesting that the recipient refrain from commenting on the memorial until the committee decided to make further information available.
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Manuscript letter from Dr T. Corcoran, 35 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, to John V. Bourke in response to enquiries from Bourke concerning consideration by the UCD Governing Body of proposals for the erection of a memorial dedicated to Kevin Barry. He suggests possible courses of action for Bourke to take in pursuit of approval for the memorial.
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Letter from Kevin Mangan, Richmond Avenue, Milltown, to Bourke advising that he may not be able to attend the next meeting of the committee but stating his strong belief in choosing a theme or central idea to guide the selection of designs for the individual panels within the stained glass window.
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Letter from C.B. Simmonds, manager, Harry Clarke Stained Glass Limited, to Bourke, The National University, 49 Merrion Square. He will not be attending the unveiling ceremony but other representatives from the company will be present. He is arranging for the window to be draped and will give his attention to the inscription plates as soon as the committee have made a decision.
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Loose sheet featuring manuscript notes on decisions made by the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee relating to the adoption of an unspecified report by the committee and the election of members to the committee for the period 4 December 1927–19 March 1928. The reverse of the page also features a list of eleven possible options for the form of a memorial dedicated to Kevin Barry.
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Manuscript notes on decisions made by the committee at a meeting held in Earlsfort Terrace on 13 March [1927 or 1928]. The notes discuss attempts to obtain permission to erect a water font in University Church or to hold an annual memorial mass for Kevin Barry. It also refers to suggestions to construct a memorial in St Stephen's Green. The minutes are signed by B. O Reilly, secretary of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee.
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Manuscript letter concerning a final report from the Kevin Barry Committee including the price estimate received for the stained glass window, attempts made to seek official approval from the Governing Body of University College Dublin, possible sites for the window and the history of the project.
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Manuscript letter from Patrick Donovan, 83 Wellington Road, Dublin, former president of the Students’ Representative Council of University College Dublin, written in response to queries posed by a member of the committee, concerning the purpose of the memorial fund, attempts to erect the memorial in University Church, and possible forms the memorial could take.
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Manuscript letter from Vincent C. Barry, University College, Galway, to the secretary of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee (John V. Bourke), regarding the absence of a report from the committee for the previous year; the opposition of the UCD Governing Body to the erection of a memorial tablet to Kevin Barry; the funds collected by UCD students for the purpose of constructing a memorial; and the form the memorial should take.
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Manuscript minutes of several meetings of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee for the session 1930. The minutes feature the names of the individuals present at the meetings and pertain to the co-option of new members to the committee, the form the memorial could take and possible courses of action to rally support for the memorial. Each entry is signed by Liam Ó Féich, president of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee.
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