ADAMS - THE HISTORY SALE Tuesday 19th April 2016 : You can Download a PDF Version from the Bottom Menu Down Arrow Icon

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The History Sale 19th April 2016
A British passport issued purportedly to Mr. Robert James Hawthorne, actually Roddy Connolly, son of James Connolly, and used by him to visit the
Soviet Union and other countries in 1921-2. With Connolly’s genuine photograph, stamped by the (British) Foreign Office and identifying him as
Hawthorne. Much worn and used, pages loose, with various interesting stamps and visas.
As a young man of 15, Connolly served in the GPO under his father’s command, and was afterwards interned for a short time. He went to Moscow
to discuss the affiliation of the Socialist Party of Ireland to the Comintern, and met senior people there including Lenin. The fake passport was
reputedly obtained through British Communist Party contacts in London. To the untutored eye it is indistinguishable from the real thing, and may be
a genuine passport with false details inserted.
Roderic Connolly later joined the Irish Labour Party, was elected TD for Louth 1943-45, and eventually became Chairman of the Labour Party.
A unique and most interesting document.
€ 1,000 - 2,000