103
800Years IrishPolitical, Literary&MilitaryHistory - 15thApril2014
268 RepublicanAutographBook1918-21.
A small leatherbound autograph book containing two groups of signatures, the first
group entered during the South Armagh by-election of February 1918, when the Sinn
Fein candidate Dr. Pat McCartan was defeated by an Irish Party nominee, with signa-
tures including Joe McGuinness, victor in the South Longford by-election of 1917, Aibhis-
tin de Staic [Stack] and some others; and secondly a small group of signatures dated Au-
gust-September 1921, including Michael Collins, Eoin Ua Dubhthaigh [O’Duffy], Tom
Cullen [one of Collins’ close associates], Harry Boland, Sean OMurthuile and Frank Aiken.
It is unusual to find Boland’s signature with Collins’, as Boland was in the United States
with De Valera for much of 1919, and the two took opposite sides in the Treaty debate.
There is significant dampdamage to the spinearea throughout, affecting someof theentriesmar-
ginally, but not that ofCollins.
€1200 - 1500
269 REPUBLICANAUTOGRAPHBOOKS, 1941/2
Two pocket-sized Republican autograph books, 1940s, the first compiled by Plunkett
Pearse Danaher in Arbour Hill detention centre, May-June 1941, the second apparent-
ly by Seamus Fitzgerald of Limerick City, in ‘Tintown’ (The Curragh camp), 1941-42.
The first contains the signature of George Plant of Tipperary, executed some sixmonths later by
orderof amilitarycourtonachargeofkillinganalleged informer. His contributionhere reads, ‘It
isanoble thing todie for the IrishRepublic. It isauseful thing tomake theenemiesof theRepublic
die. If you cant be noble, do your best to be useful.’ Also about 30 other signatures, one quoting
the poet AustinClarke on the Free Staters: ‘They are the spit of virtue now, / They prate of law
andhonour, / Butwe rememberhow they shot / RoryO’Connor’. (GearóidóMongáin, 24.4.41).
The secondbookbeginswith the signatureofSeoirseOPluingcéid [GeorgePlunkett],withadraw-
ing, and contains about 40 others, all in ‘Tintown’, including that of Pearse Kelly, later a senior
RTE executive.
Autographbooks from this period are relatively scarce.
(2)
€400 - 600
