Madam, – I wish to thank all those involved in ensuring that the collection of Stewart and Kincaid Famine letters that was due to be auctioned in Adams showrooms in Dublin this week will now stay in Ireland and be available to those researching the Great Famine (Home News, March 18th).
This was the first time anything like this has been put up for sale in Ireland. It is a great relief that the sale of this collection did not go ahead as it would have been a huge loss to our country if the collection had been scattered to the winds and sold to a variety of collectors at home and abroad.
I attended the viewing of the collection in Adams on Sunday and was very moved by the display of the letters, each in its own classic black box, at first sight almost resembling a collection of small coffins: from the first letter about the failure of the potato crop, to the state of their hungry tenants, to the spread of disease and the setting up of relief works, to tenants leaving their homes, to the dilemma of land agents faced with a starving people. These letters and records of workhouses and fever hospitals and estates show the toll neglect and hunger and disease take on a people, and provide invaluable evidence of one of the most important times in our history.
This collection has been gathered by one collector who is to be commended for amassing such a wonderful treasure trove of Great Famine material and art at his/her own expense over what must be nearly a lifetime. Hopefully this collection has now found a good home within an Irish archive and perhaps some of the rest of the collection which includes art pieces representing the Famine by some of our most reputable contemporary artists may also find their way to be put on public display in one of our national galleries.
It is important that existing Great Famine material be available so that teachers, students, academics, tourists and all of us with an interest in our history and the Great Famine are able to explore and discover more about these tragic times and our troubled heritage.
Perhaps some time in the future when our finances have improved the State should consider setting up a large Great Irish Famine centre, which would house all the items it has amassed and collected and housed within the archives, and which would become an important place for everyone – not only in Ireland, but also from overseas – to visit and rediscover our past. – Yours, etc,