Newport Civil War collection goes to Cleveland

COLLECTION of Civil War-era letters found in a jar in an old shed near Newport will go on display in Cleveland, from where some of the letters originated.

Letters and documents dating back to the War of Independence and Civil War periods were discovered by local farmer Pat Chambers in September 2021, hidden inside the stone walls of an old shed in the townland of Doontrusk, near Newport.

The collection had belonged to Tom Mulchrone, a leading republican in the Newport area at the time of the War of Independence and Civil War. He was married to Pat’s great-aunt, Mary Hoban.

The jar lay undiscovered for nearly 100 years. Its contents included information on Civil War activities in the Newport area, the Newport Sinn Féin accounts, and payments made relating to the visit to West Mayo of future Taoiseach Seán Lemass.

Some of the documents inside the jar included letters between Tom and his brother John, who lived in Cleveland, in which they discussed the campaign in Ireland. A letter from Cleveland to The Mayo News detailed the strength of feeling in the US city about the treaty, while a further letter from that same city lamented the death after an engagement with Free State forces of anti-treatyite, Jim Moran in March 1923. The letter also revealed that substantial fundraising was taking place in Cleveland to support the struggle in Ireland.

A display of the collection was launched at the Michael Davitt Museum in July 2022 by Minister Jack Chambers, whose father hails from the Newport area.

Cleveland trip

THE documents will travel to Cleveland this week as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the twinning of Mayo County Council and Cleveland, which will run from October 25 to October 30.

With support from the Creative Ireland fund, the papers will be accompanied by two representatives from the Michael Davitt Museum and two members of the Chambers family. The documents will be displayed at three separate city locations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 27, 28 and 29. A 45-minute PowerPoint presentation developed by the Michael Davitt Museum will be available for viewing at the Friday and Sunday events.

Museum staff and Chambers family members will be joined by local historian and author Seán Cadden, while Professor Emeritus at the University of Portland and local historian Mick Mulchrone will also be present.

The aforementioned group will guide attendees through the presentation, providing information, explanations and context throughout. Additionally, museum staff will ensure procedures are maintained in terms of exhibition set-up and appropriate curatorship while the exhibits are overseas.

Cultural ties

THE Mayo diaspora in Cleveland have shown great interest in the story since the discovery of the documents.

“It is great to bring the collection out to Cleveland,” said Yvonne Corcoran Loftus, curator of the Michael Davitt Museum, “especially with the link there and with the letters found in the jar all linking back to Cleveland. There is great excitement.”

A large delegation from Mayo will be travelling to Cleveland this week for the twinning celebrations, with a number of engagements planned across the city. The packed schedule includes meetings with the Mayor of Cleveland Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Roynane and Honorary Irish Consul General Mark Owens.

The trip provides an invaluable opportunity to enhance existing cultural ties between Mayo and Cleveland, develop business partnerships and promote Mayo as a tourist destination for those living in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.