Deep pride in Cork as Michael Collins’ diary from 1919 goes on display in Clonakilty for August

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

The Liam MacCarthy Cup may not have returned to Cork this summer after all, but a relic of one of the Rebel County’s most famous sons has, at least for the next month.

For the fourth year in a row, the National Archives, in partnership with Cork County Council, has sent one of Irish independence leader Michael Collins’ working diaries to be displayed in the museum dedicated to him in his hometown of Clonakilty.

This year’s diary is the 1919 edition and highlights a lesser-known aspect of Collins’ work – his international connections.

Alongside the diary, visitors to the Michael Collins House Museum can peruse a selection of letters exchanged between Collins and Donal Hales, a fellow Cork man who was an Irish diplomat based in Italy from 1919 to 1922.

Hales, a brother of West Cork IRA leaders Tom and Sean, sought to gain diplomatic recognition for the nascent Irish republic from both the Italian government and the papacy. He also tried, unsuccessfully, to organise arms shipments from Italy to Ireland.

The Cork man regularly sent Collins Italian newspaper clippings and reports on European sentiment toward Ireland’s independence movement. In return, Collins shared candid updates on the escalating conflict, political developments, and the challenges of building a new state.

The diaries, which cover the period from 1918 to 1922, have been officially loaned to the National Archives by the Collins family. They have now been digitised and can be explored on a touchscreen at the Michael Collins House Museum and the National Archives in Dublin.

The pocket-sized books are terse records of the daily meetings, appointments and tasks of a busy man trying to run a guerilla war and organise a national loan for a new state while avoiding capture by the British administration in Ireland.

“They're operational diaries, essentially that's what they are. They give a good insight into the internal workings of Collins’ mind. When you look at the diaries, you can see Collins was very good at his to-do lists,” the museum’s general manager Jamie Murphy told the Irish Independent.

The diary will be on display until August 31. The Michael Collins House Museum, which is funded by Cork County Council, is located at 7 Emmet Square in Clonakilty. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday 9am – 6pm and admission is free.