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The History Sale 2015
www.adams.ie658
MAUD GONNE & W.B. YEATS: AN INVITATION
A printed circular letter in French, issued over the names of Maud
Gonne and W.B. Yeats of ‘Le Comité Irlandais’, dated ‘Londres, Le
25 Juillet 1898’, 1 pp, signed by G. Lavelle, Hon. Sec. ’98 Centenary
Association, Young Ireland Society Offices, London, sent to ‘Monsieur
P. Mac Manus’.
The letter invites recipients to join in events celebrating the centenary
of ‘l’effort que firent il y a un siècle nos aieux vers la liberté, et l’aide
généreuse que leur apporta la France’ [the effort which our ancestors
made a century ago towards liberty, with generous aid from France],
especially ‘au meeting et au banquet offert par les Irlandais de Londres
aux délegués francais le 9 Aout de qu’a ceux de Dublin, de Killala, de
Ballina et de Castlebar’.
W.B. Yeats’ participation in the ’98 Centenary committee marks the
high point of his association with militant Republicanism (the committee
was dominated by the IRB), although Foster says his interest was
mainly in the opportunity it gave of regular meetings with Maud Gonne.
This document is not mentioned by Foster, and may be unrecorded.
Original documents bearing the joint names of Yeats and Gonne are
rare. P[adraic] MacManus was an Irish-Argentinian businessman,
brother of the writer Seumas MacManus, and an active IRB member.
€400 - €600
659
MAUD GONNE MCBRIDE [1866-1953] AND OTHERS
A Christmas card with colour-printed illustration, issued by ‘Túr Soluis’,
inscribed ‘With Greetings & Christmas blessings from Maud Gonne
MacBride, 1945’, probably for the writer Seumas MacManus.
With an autograph slip signed by Grace Rhys (Irish-born writer, married
to the writer and editor Ernest Rhys), with a message to Seumas
MacManus dated Sept. 10 ’27.
Also with a typescript letter on notepaper of ‘The Delineator’, signed by
the American writer and editor Theodore Dreiser, addressed to Seumas
MacManus at a New York address, dated April 1 1909, returning a
group of Irish fairy stories, some of which he may consider in the
following year. (3)
€100 - €200
Lot 658
Lot 659