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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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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Letter from Thomas Murphy, President of University College Dublin, to John V. Bourke responding to enquiries made by Bourke regarding the possibility of transferring the Kevin Barry Memorial stained glass window from Earlsfort Terrace, the former main campus of UCD, to Belfield, the current main campus of the university. Murphy advises that the window will be moved in due course and discusses the selection of a suitable location.
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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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Undated manuscript note on headed paper of the Commerce Society, University College Dublin, discussing the commencement of the construction of the window and the proposed design to be submitted to the committee. The note has not been signed by or addressed to a specific individual but is presumably an intra-committee communication.
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Manuscript list of the scenes to be depicted in the stained glass window accompanied by a rough sketch indicating the positioning of each individual scene within the panels. The sketch appears on the reverse of a leaflet for Harry Clarke and Sons Stained Glass Artists and Church Decorators, Dublin.
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Document provides a detailed description of the scenes to be depicted in each of the eight individual panels of the stained glass window, to be designed and executed by Harry Clark Stained Glass Limited, North Frederick Street, Dublin. The descriptions outline the subject matter of each of the panels along with specifications relating to the composition and the symbolism of the scenes.
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Manuscript document entitled ‘Kevin Barry Memorial File’ concerning the decision of the Governing Body of University College Dublin to approve the erection of a stained glass window as a memorial to Kevin Barry and detailing discussions which took place on the other forms the memorial could potentially take, such as a scholarship or grant offered to students.
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Manuscript letter from Dr John F. Harrington, Andersonstown, Belfast, to the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee discussing his attempts to gather people who attended college with Kevin Barry, who were also in the 'H' Company First Battalion of the Irish Volunteers, and requesting information about the unveiling ceremony.
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Brief letter from C.B. Simmonds, manager, Harry Clarke Stained Glass Limited, 6-7 North Frederick Street, Dublin. "Many thanks for your letter to hand this morning. You must excuse me if I do not answer it fully until early next week. I may say, however, that I am glad any points under consideration have now reached a definite conclusion".
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Typescript letter from Bourke to members of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee requesting their attendance at a meeting in the Students’ Representative Council Room in University College Dublin on 23 March 1934. The letter includes an agenda for the meeting and informs the members that the memorial window is available for viewing at the Harry Clarke Stained Glass Studios.
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Unaddressed draft manuscript letter requesting assistance in deciding the design of the stained glass window to be erected in the Council Chamber of University College Dublin and looking for suggestions for appropriate historical scenes in Irish history that could be included in the design. The letter features a note stating that a copy of the letter was sent to Dr [Denis J.] Coffey, Professor M. Hayden and Professor Eoin MacNeill.
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Manuscript report, written in Irish, relating to the proposed memorial and the search for approval for the project from the Governing Body of University College Dublin. The report was unanimously adopted by the committee and has been signed by Eoin Ó Broleáin, secretary, and Pádraig O Donnobhán, vice-president of the committee.
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Typed list of companies that could potentially be commissioned to complete the stained glass window for the Kevin Barry Memorial. The list also features manuscript comments on the suitability of each of the companies for the project. Written on Permanent Exhibition of Irish Manufactures headed paper.
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Minutes refer to the committee’s success in obtaining permission from the UCD Governing Body for the erection of a stained glass window and agreement with the Harry Clarke Studio on the cost of the project. The minutes were signed by Tadhg O’Neill, President R.C. [Students' Representative Council], on 25 August 1932.
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The minutes of the meeting pertain to a discussion on whether the scheme outlined in the 1929–30 Report should be adhered to and the possibility of deferring payment for the window and suspending the collection of funds until the permission of the Governing Body has been obtained. The minutes were signed by Ua Rathghaille on 18 July 1932.
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Circular letter entitled 'The Kevin Barry Memorial Fund' containing a brief history of the memorial fund and a request for contributions and subscriptions. The letter is written both in English and in Irish and features the names of the members of the committee. The names of ex-committee members have been crossed out with pencil.
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Draft manuscript report providing a detailed history of the Kevin Barry Memorial following a proposal made at a meeting of the Students' Representative Council of University College Dublin on 2 November 1920, the day following the execution of Kevin Barry. The report is written within two short examination booklets which have been labelled 'I' and 'II.'
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Minutes of a meeting of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee. The minutes refer to the proposed acceptance of subscriptions from people who do not and have never attended University College Dublin and the proposed date for the unveiling ceremony. The meeting was adjourned and resumed on the 15th January. The minutes were signed by Desmond Bell, chairman, 1 March 1934.
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The minutes concern payment due to the Clarke studio, the date of the unveiling ceremony and the decision to publish a photograph of the stained glass window in the college magazine Comhthrom Feinne. The minutes were signed by Desmond Bell, chairman, 23 July 1934, and feature manuscript annotations.
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Minutes pertain to a discussion on whether the committee should accept financial assistance from the public following a letter published in the Irish Press from Joseph J. O' Donoghue IV of New York concerning the Kevin Barry Memorial. Mr O' Donoghue also sent $100 to be given to the Memorial Fund in order to facilitate its completion. In another context, Keogh Brothers Photographers offered to print and sell memoriam cards and donate the proceeds to the fund. The minutes were signed by William P. Fay, chairman, 8 January 1934.
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Copy letter sent by John V. Bourke to the Governing Body of University College Dublin regarding the findings of a commission established by the Students’ Representative Council to look into the history of the fund collected for the establishment of a memorial dedicated to Kevin Barry and submitting recommendations to the Governing Body regarding the erection of the memorial. The copy features minor manuscript annotations dated 12 November 1931.
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Manuscript report of the Kevin Barry Memorial Committee discussing the proposed memorial to be dedicated to Kevin Barry in University College Dublin, 14 October 1930. The report features a brief description of the history of the decision to create a memorial dedicated to Kevin Barry and the other students and graduates of University College Dublin who lost their lives during the struggle for independence. The report discusses the inception of the project and its development during the period 1920–30, beginning with a meeting of the Students’ Representative Council on 2 November 1920, in the immediate aftermath of the execution of Kevin Barry. It also refers to the finances of the memorial fund, the committee’s attempts at fund raising, members of the committee and the decision regarding what form the memorial should take. The report has been signed by the members of the committee including William P. Fay, Kevin Mangan, Patricia Browner, John V. Bourke and John Kent.
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