• Reference code  IE/UCD/SC/Ferriter mss
• Title Patrick Ferriter Manuscripts
• Dates  1889–1922
• Level of description Fonds
• Extent 39 items

Creator Patrick Ferriter (1856 - 1924)

Biographical History

• Patrick Ferriter was born in an Baile Uachtarach on the Dingle peninsula.
• He collected local songs, poems, stories and folklore. He also copied from other manuscripts which he had on loan.
• In 1896 he left Ireland for Boston and continued to collect material from Irish speakers he met there.
• Ferriter also visited the Boston Athenaeum and transcribed material from three Irish language manuscripts that he found there.
• In 1903 Ferriter moved to New York, where he edited material for the Irish language column of The Gaelic American. 
• He also contributed material to the bilingual journal An Gaodhal. 
• Ferriter fell sick in the year 1922 and some time later moved to Chicago to be with relatives.
• He bequeathed his entire manuscript collection to Douglas Hyde for the library of the National University of Ireland, Dublin.

Many thanks to Dr. Séamus Ó Diolluin, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra for this biographical information on Patrick Ferriter.

Source of Acquisition Donated to UCD Library in 1924.

• Thirty-nine volumes of Gaelic manuscript materials, collected or compiled by Patrick Ferriter both in Kerry and the USA.
• His sources included printed sources, manuscripts in public and private custody in the USA as well as interviews with Irish speakers in Kerry and in the USA. 
• The manuscripts include songs and poems, explanations of proverbs in Irish and copies of poems that were published in the two New York Irish newspapers, The Irish American and An Gaodhal.
• Ms16 contains stories in Irish collected from the people of Corcha Dhuibhne in the 19th century. 
• One manuscript is a history of the families of the district, written in a shopkeepers notebook, with lists of customers and groceries also still in the notebook.
• Ms19 contains political notes of the Parnellite period including resolutions against priests in Kerry.
• The collection also includes 18 volumes of traditional Gaelic manuscripts written by various scribes and collected by Ferriter. 
•  These manuscripts contain popular Munster poetry in Irish, Ossianic verse, religious poetry, prayers, romantic tales in Irish collected by scribes such as Uilliam Ó Hogain, Micheál O’Corcorain, Sean O’Dreada and others.
• Ferriter manuscripts 40-42 are privately owned but are available for consultation on microfilm in Special Collections.

Access The materials in this collection are available by appointment only to research students, teaching staff and scholars.

Research students should have a letter of recommendation from their supervisor.

Reproduction Photocopying or digital photographing of this material is not permitted.

Language Primarily Irish.

Finding Aid The material is listed online in Sources: A National Library of Ireland database for Irish research. This search tool is the online version of Hayes, Richard J. (1965) Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation, Boston: Hall, also available in James Joyce Library, Level 2, Ref GR 016/091.
There is also a calendar of these manuscripts available on microfiche.