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Traditionally, autographs were collected from friends, colleagues and classmates and collated in an autographs book. Poems, drawings and personal messages would also have been included. Autograph books were very popular in the Victorian period and during the first half of the 20th century not only among children but also adults. Several interesting autograph books are held by Newry and Mourne Museum.
One of these autograph books was owned by Éamon Donnelly, a prominent Nationalist politician in the Ireland during the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Middletown, Co. Armagh on 19th July 1877, Donnelly later became a member of Sinn Féin and was one of the first of the Irish Volunteers in Armagh and went onto become a key organiser for Sinn Féin. After Partition, Sinn Féin split over the issue of abstention from Dáil Éireann and Donnelly was one of the founding members of Fianna Fáil.
Éamon Donnelly was deeply concerned about Partition and spoke passionately many times about the issue which he felt was the predominant national issue. During the Second World War, the British government contemplated introducing conscription in Northern Ireland. Donnelly organised a province-wide anti-conscription campaign which culminated in a mass rally at Corrigan Park, Belfast where a pledge was made by 10,000 men to resist conscription. Donnelly died aged 67, on 29th December 1944 and is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Newry.
An autograph book owned by Margaret Anderson is also in the possession of Newry and Mourne Museum. Margaret Anderson was from Ballinran, Kilkeel, and joined Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) in 1916 and saw service in a Military Hospital in Bournemouth in England. In 1919 she was awarded the Royal Red Cross, the highest decoration that could be conferred on a woman for nursing service. In 1926 Nurse Anderson returned home to work as a matron at a temporary hospital for those working on the Silent Valley reservoir, near Kilkeel. During the Second World War, despite being fifty-eight, Nurse Anderson re-joined the nursing service. After her retirement she returned to Mourne where she died 13th October 1956.
In 2014 a new stone was added to the War Memorial at Mourne Presbyterian Church to commemorate her service in both World Wars. Her autograph book dates back to the First World War where it contains ninety entries from soldiers including messages, poems and sketches.
The third autograph book belonged to Robert Henry O’Rourke. O’Rourke owned a public house on Needham Street (now Patrick Street) in Newry and, according to the 1911 census, lived at 3 Buttercrane Quay with this wife Elizabeth (née Butterfield) from Mayobridge. He was also involved in local politics. His book contains autographs of local business men and women and of those in politics. One is of Charles Stewart Parnell, the famous Irish politician who supported land reform and Home Rule, and visited Newry on 8th March 1891. On the same page is the autograph of Henrietta Mitchel Martin who was the sister of John Mitchel, the local Irish Patriot, and wife of his friend and fellow Patriot, John Martin from Donaghmore, near Newry.
The autographs books which belonged to Éamon Donnelly and Margaret Anderson are on display in the Museum.
The Museum is currently offering free tours of the exhibition galleries on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2.00 pm. These must be booked in advance by calling our Education Officer at 0330 137 4422.
Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 4.30 pm. Please call 0330 137 4422 or email museums@nmandd.org for further information.
Visit their website at www.visitmournemountains.co.uk
