Material
relating to his undergraduate career at University College Dublin (1926–30)
and postgraduate research at the University of London (1930–33); to his appointment
to a lectureship (1938) and to the chair (1943) of Modern Irish History in UCD;
to the teaching of history in the college and the administration of his department
including correspondence with colleagues and students (1936–73); to his involvement
with staff representative bodies (1960–71), the Academic Council Committee
of Enquiry appointed to report on the background to student disturbances in the
college (1968–9), and student societies and organisations including the Students’
Representative Council, the Literary & Historical Society, the History Society
and the Irish University History Students’ Association (1930–74). Material
relating to his involvement with historical and scholarly organisations and bodies
including Bureau of Military History (1945–60): the operation and closure
of the Bureau. Irish Manuscripts Commission (1938–69): minutes, reports,
correspondence, publication projects, surveys and the work of sub-committees. Irish
Historical Society (1934–72): programmes of meetings and the publication
of Irish Historical Studies including records from Edwards’ periods as an
officer of the society and joint editor of the journal. Irish Committee
of Historical Sciences (1934–71): minutes and reports, proposals for research
and publication projects, the proposed establishment of an institute for historical
research, the publication of the Bulletin of the ICHS, and the organisation
of the Irish Conference of Historians. Irish Catholic Historical Committee
(1951–74): establishment and organisation; Edwards’ role as secretary;
minutes, arrangements for meetings, research and publication projects including
publication of Proceedings, surveys of archives, conferences. Dublin Historical
Association (1956–80): minute book of meetings. Material relating to
his role as an expert witness on the historical background to several fisheries
cases before the High Court (1928–63); to his various research and lecturing
trips abroad, including reports on archives, particularly in Rome (1952) and the
United States (1961–2). 200 files of correspondence (1931–73)
with individuals, mainly academic contemporaries; orders, congregations and individual
religious, both at home and abroad; and with Irish and foreign organisations,
associations and bodies including government departments, learned societies, universities,
archives services, libraries and publishers. | 
Collections