The Peter Barry collection of the correspondence between Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan, which will be handed over to the State on Friday, was almost certainly destined to go abroad, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs has revealed.
Mr Barry purchased the letters at auction in Dublin five years ago for £45,000. The correspondence between Collins and Kiernan, which also includes notes from Harry Boland to Kitty Kiernan, runs to 305 letters, providing valuable insights into the "softer" side of Collins, even as he was involved in difficult negotiations with the British government in London. Mr Barry said yesterday he was convinced that the collection would not have remained in Ireland unless his bid had been successful.
"I suspected the State would not buy them and that ultimately they would wind up outside Ireland, most likely in some American university. The bidding was carried out by telephone and my hunch is that the next highest bidder to me was in fact an American university," he added.
Mr Barry said the letters came into the possession of Kitty Kiernan's two sons, Michael and Felix Cronin - she married Felix Cronin in the 1920s - and when he became aware that they would be available for purchase, he was determined to keep them in Ireland if possible.
When his bid was successful, Mr Barry sent the collection to Marsh's Library in Dublin, where it was catalogued and treated to ensure the letters would be intact for future generations.
"Marsh's did a marvellous job and I am happy that the letters are now safe for posterity. I had wondered what was the best thing to do with them and I decided to hand them over to the State, which is what I am now doing by giving them to one of its arms - the Cork Public Museum at Fitzgerald Park. I am handing over ownership in full," he said.
In 1995 Mr Barry loaned the collection to the museum as part of a temporary exhibition, "Dear Kitty". It was an outstanding success, attracting more than 20,000 people to view letters that were open to public scrutiny for the first time. The letters were first presented in published form by the late Leon O Broin in 1983 and In Great Haste, a revised edition containing some 64 letters previously unknown, was published by the journalist and RTE producer, Cian O hEigeartaigh.
Mr Barry said he was satisfied the letters had found a home which would do them justice and help to give new insights into the real Michael Collins. "He is portrayed as the `hard' man, the man of action. I wanted people to be exposed to the softer, more human side of his character."
The formal handing-over ceremony will take place at the museum at 4 p.m. on Friday.