Letter from J. J. Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Offaly Vocational Education Committee regarding schemes for the relief of unemployment and in particular of the amount of unskilled labour required to build a school.

File of correspondence between Banagher Parish Council, Offaly County Board of Health and Department of Local Government and Public Health, in relation to the installation of a sewerage scheme at Banagher and the provision of wartime employment.
Includes Ms list of 23rd January 1941 of persons prepared to connect with the water mains. With copy of Sanitary Sub-Officers Report.
Includes also ms resolution of Banagher parish Council stating that the sanitation in Banagher requires immediate attention.

Letter of 26th January 1942 from District Engineer, ESB stating that the restriction of public lighting in Banagher will go ahead 'assuming that Offaly County Board of Health have no objection to this course'.

Letter from Thomas S. Duggan, County Surveyor, to the Secretary, Banagher Parish Council regarding the provision of fire appliances for the town of Banagher and stating that nothing can be done until money is available.

Newspaper cuttings, some mounted on card, with corresponding catalogue numbers, which were placed on display during An Tóstal exhibitions in Tullamore in 1953 and 1954:

1. 'Geashill Cauldron Given to Nation', Midland Tribune, 4 April 1954
   2.'The Lays of Tullamore'
2. 'Tony Molloy Wrote for Nation's Youth'
3. 'Kilcormac's Famous Missal - a historic manuscript'. By 'P.F.' Offaly Independent, 16 August 1952
4. 'The Famed Blue Ball - an incident of the Land War.' By 'P.F.'
5. 'Offaly's Fighting Story' - a series of articles on the War of Independence and Civil War published in the Offaly Independent in March 1954, by 'P.F.' Includes photocopied duplicates of same. Articles include 'The Ambush at Raheen', 'Attempted Ambush at Blue Ball', 'Mount Lucas Ambush' and 'the Fight for Freedom'.
6. 'We Sail the River Shannon - St Ciarán of Clonmacnois' by H. J. Rice.
7. 'Offaly's Twelve Baronies' by 'P.F.'

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of the Geashill Estate. Matters referred to include the sale of the Post Office at Geashill; rent arrears, particularly from proprietor of Post Office at Killeigh; right of way at Geashill Vicarage/Rectory; insurance cover; poaching and trespass; timber trade and forestry; lease of Garda Barracks, Geashill to the Office of Public Works and repair of same; the Fisheries Bill (1939); the outbreak of World War II and its effect on forestry.

Includes hand-drawn map by Darley, Orpen & McGillycuddy Solicitors, of Geashill Glebe, scale 1/2500, showing lands belonging to Representative Church Body and rights of way adjoining the site.

Includes copy letter from Kennedy to Digby: '...We have had a terrific frost here just before Christmas, hard enough to produce three days skating on Charleville Lake, and I am told that there were lumps of ice floating about in the sea between Dublin and Kingstown, a thing which I do not think anyone remembers before. The thaw has now thoroughly set in after a second sharp spell of frost last week and between rain and melted snow the country generally and the rivers are terribly flooded.' (9 January 1939)

Includes letter from R. Fetherstonhaugh, solicitor, Mountmellick to Kennedy: 'I was very sorry to hear from my son that he had trespassed yesterday on Lord Digby's bog. He and some friends went out to shoot on the Burrow Meadows - apparently he wandered over the county boundary & it was surprising to me how he got so far; it was, I believe quite unintentional on his part and both of us regret it very much.' (16 January 1939)

Includes letter from An Roinn Tailte/Department of Lands forbidding the felling of native timber due to the outbreak of war and withdrawing the forestry permit granted to Lord Digby. (25 September 1939)

Includes letter from Digby to Kennedy: I am flying over to Northern Ireland on Monday morning. I should be there about a week or ten days investigating infantry training units in my capacity as Assistant Inspector of Infantry at the War Office. I regret I shall not be able to get leave to come over the border on this occasion, but would you write to me to Mount Stewart, Newtownards, Co. Down where I shall be on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th...I was very sorry to hear the sad news about Capt Boyd Rochfort's death. I would have sent you a wire to represent me at the funeral but did not know in time.' (10 August 1940)

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of the Geashill Estate. Matters referred to include complications in the of sale of Scrubb Wood to A. E. Morean of Borrisokane due to the death duty on timber owed by Digby; applications for licenses from the Forestry Department to fell trees during wartime; emergency powers (control of timber) order 1941; trespass and poaching; offer of sale of Derrygunnigan wood to the Forestry Division, Department of Lands; wartime food supplies; and rental arrears.

Includes letter from Digby to Kennedy: ' I am absolutely at a loss to make out how you make out that duty was not paid on the Irish property and the woods. I am sure it was; the valuation included the woods as far as I can remember. When I have sold the woods before no question of this has arisen & I don't want this raised now. In fact if there is any quotation of it, the whole matter of the sale in this manner should be held up and the sale carried out similar to the Derrygunnigan sale or not at all. This raises such a big question that I should prefer to have no sale rather than a letter should go anywhere near the authorities on this subject. What action have you taken? You don't say whether you have raised the matter through the London solicitors or tried to do it direct. Please do nothing of this kind in future without writing to me on the subject.' (27 October 1940)

Includes letter from Kenneth Robins, stonemason, Portarlington to Kennedy: 'Looking at the ruins of the Digby Estate in Geashill the other day. I would like to know if their representatives would sell the pieces of cut stone in and around the site? I would buy and take away any stone suitable to my trade.' (2 February 1942)

Includes letter from G. Muir, forester on Digby Estate to Mr Douglas (Of A & L Goodbody): 'I am sending you this note as Mr K may be at Court top let you know that we have had the devil's own fire on Derryadd. It has been a night & day job since 11 last night until 11 today and now we have got to put out the fire in Derrynasligue Ditch or bank, and a half of a long road to carry water. Damn bogs anyway, they may be the glory of Eire but any way a curse to me.' (7 May 1942)

Includes letter from Kennedy to Digby:'We are all keeping well but as you say housekeeping is becoming increasingly difficult. We are really fortunate living in the country and cannot very well starve as I have been able to produce an acre of potatoes, and we have plenty of our own milk and eggs, and I have also produced 35 barrells of oats off two statute acres not to mention a very adequate supply of good turf (not off the two acres!). Unfortunate people especially of the poorer class in Dublin and other cities must be in a bad way. (19 September 1942)

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of the Geashill Estate. Matters referred to include Col. Bury granted the concession of Cole Hill area; supply of poles for ESB; Lord Digby's broken leg; purchase by Offaly County Council of a site in Ballydonnan for housing site (includes map with coloured section); Clonad hit by storms and blizzards but no major damage; sale of Ballingaore House by the Perry Estate; poaching on Derrygunnigan woods; repatriation of items confiscated during a trip in August 1946; repair of Geashill Garda Barracks.

Includes letter to Muir from Digby detailing effects of rations and austerity in post-war Britain: "Lady Digby was beaten by the Farmers Union Candidate in fact the number of women on our [County Council] was reduced to 3... Things here are getting very unpleasant and terribly expensive. The Budget looms ahead in rather a disagreeable light! ... Restrictions are very severe about timber cutting here. you cant cut your own trees unless they are dead, and if they are dead you can't get any one to saw them up. I can't get a portable handsaw that I want and there are no saw benches about that aren't commanded by the Ministry of Supply". (1 April 1946).

Includes letter from James Brophy, Derrygolan to Digby, informing him that there is "a well containing oil on [my] turf bank". (4 June 1947).

Includes letter from Digby to Kennedy, describing a great holiday in Ireland where he was able to bring back all the things he purchased to the UK as dual resident "The inevitable economic crisis which I forecast when I was with you has fallen with great severity upon us all... We managed to get all the things that we bought in Eire safely over to this country and had no trouble on either side. I found the fact that I was a dual-resident was a great help" (22 September 1947).

Original incoming and copy outgoing correspondence relating to the administration of felling notices and forestry at the Geashill Estate concerning purchase orders issued by J&L Goodbody Manufacturers, Clara to the Digby estate; the supply of 3000 stakes to the Office of Public Works, Tullamore; application for public liability insurance for the felling of trees on Geashill estate; application to the Department of Land under for Felling Licence; orders for timbers for parties including TP Kavanagh, WH Kearon and Benjamin Reid.

Includes letter from the Department of Industry and Commerce: " I am writing to appeal to you and all owner of woods to place substantial quantities of timber on sale at the earliest possible date. It is essential in the national interest that building activity should be resumed on an extensive scale without delay. From time to time during the past six years scarcity of building materials has brought building virtually to a standstill. As a result there are large arrears of housing and other important building work to be made good... Unless an effective start is made at this stage, opportunities may be lost that can never be recaptured. Skilled craftsmen now in Great Britain will not return if work is not found for them immediately. If they drift into regular employment abroad, they may be lost to this country for good. The major obstacle in the way of a large-scale resumption of building activity is the scarcity of timber. As you are aware, the country in the past depended on imported timber for practically all of its building needs. There seems to be no immediate prospect of the resumption of imports on the pre-war scale... What therefore I ask the owners of woodlands to do is to help the Industry to tide over this difficult period. this they can do by offering for sale immediately quantities of timber which they would not normally have put on the market until a later date. It is estimated that 15000 standards of good quality timber will suffice in the coming year to make the position of the industry reasonably secure for the future". (31 July 1945)

Includes letter from Department of Lands: "With reference to your letter dated 20th inst. regarding Lord Digby's Estate, I am to state that Felling Notices must be lodged by or on behalf of the owner of the lands on which the trees stand at the Garda Station nearest the trees. If the Department are prepared to grant a Felling Licence they will grant it to the owner of the lands and the owner will be liable for any replanting condition which may be imposed in the Licence." (27 April 1951).

Includes copy letter to John Dunne: "Referring to previous correspondence herein, and your various suggestions of purchasing Spy Hill Wood, Lord Digby instructs us to tell you that after considering the matter very carefully he has come to the definite policy of not selling any more woods on the Estate for various reasons including certain taxation problems. If he was selling woods he would have given you every consideration" (31 July 1951).

Preprinted acknowledgment postcards sent by return by prisoners-of-war in German camps on receipt of relief parcels organised by the Birr Castle scheme. Personal details recorded include name, rank and internment camp.