“Fine cold day. Aunt H. gave me a new umbrella & some chocolate. W. Waring sent me a little round photo frame, but the glass arrived cracked, J. Webb sent me a queer little tiny pen in a case, Aunt Maggie some lovely handkerchiefs, Aunt Bessie a handkerchief, Helen a cobwebly little handkerchief case. T. & D. a fine big muffler of the sort that’s going now, & Nancy a very grand Browning calendar. I have Aunt H. The Ship that Sailed too Soon & a photoframe, & Uncle E. green grapes. Ben sent me Darrell Figgis’s Byeways of Study, & I read most of it that morning. The articles on Parnell & H. O’Neill’s terms were very interesting. “
NLI Call Number: MS, 3582/36
NLI Catalogue Link can be found here
Date Range of Diary: 12th September 1919 – 27th January 1920
WEEK 111: 22nd – 28th December 1919
Monday 22nd Dec. – I went to town in the morning for some last things – shoes for Louis’s birthday, sweets etc, and was very busy writing letters & making up parcels & painting poorhouse scrapbook pictures. [Superscript: Took ring to the Powers a.d. & they were delighted with it – it was July’s. They were shocked to hear I could not get a passport].
Tuesday 23rd Dec. – The same sort of day, more letters & posting. Miss Scarlett paid a visit in the afternoon on her way to Portlaw for Christmas. She was talking about the attempt to kill French which she reprobates nearly as much as the attack on the Independent office. I was disgusted at the latter, but rather pleased at the former. She has the Christian viewpoint, & talks about the [Superscript: Took things to M. S. Gallagher & Miss Bowman.
(131) harm it will do us abroad, shocking people. Seán O’ Floinn afterwards said to Dorothea that it would have a good effect abroad, in making people see we are in earnest, foreigners take assassination so much for granted as a political weapon! I returned Cormac ó Conaill & an buarceag [Irish sp.?] to Miss Brown by Miss Scarlett.
Wednesday, Christmas Eve. – A lovely fine mild day. I took a lot of things out to Rose Butler in the morning & found her fairly well. It was a perfect day for a walk. I finished the letters & things at last, & got a letter from Bessie with a photo of Muriel – one of those taken on the 3rd October, & very good. It turned wet in the evening, & there were a lot of drunken men about that night. I got some automatic writing in Mamma’s name that evening, telling me
(132) I was very tired & should rest.
Christmas Day, Thursday. – Fine cold day. Aunt H. gave me a new umbrella & some chocolate. W. Waring sent me a little round photo frame, but the glass arrived cracked, J. Webb sent me a queer little tiny pen in a case, Aunt Maggie some lovely handkerchiefs, Aunt Bessie a handkerchief, Helen a cobwebly little handkerchief case. T. & D. a fine big muffler of the sort that’s going now, & Nancy a very grand Browning calendar. I have Aunt H. The Ship that Sailed too Soon & a photo frame, & Uncle E. green grapes. Ben sent me Darrell Figgis’s Byeways of Study, & I read most of it that morning. The articles on Parnell & H. O’Neill’s terms were very interesting. T. and D. and Louis came to dinner, & Louis rather liked my little tin motor van. Aunt H. gave him a lovely blue gown. I gave T. a French dictionary & D. Misalliance etc.
(133) & both of them some sweets, in a box which D. said began as a gift to her from her father about 7 years ago. Louis was very good, playing about the floor, and stayed in the kitchen with Ellie for a long time. T. & I took him out after dinner, up the lower Newtown and round Passage Rd, but he would not go to sleep. They went home pretty early. I only got cards from Millie Haughton, Miss Courtney, Seán and Kate. Millie enclosed a character of my handwriting, by some woman she told me of in the summer which was good in parts but had a few bad mistakes.
Friday, lá Féile Stíopán. – Pouring wet day. I went to dinner to St Declan’s and read parts of the Loom of Youth which they have from the Times Book Club, & it seemed very dull. Upton turned up after dinner & stayed the
(134) afternoon. He certainly was very nice with Louis, and L. likes him, but he hotly defended the raid on the Independent office. He said he was giving a lecture at the S.F. club that night. He & Tom maintain that women usually look better with their hair down than with it up – I cannot grasp their idea. Aunt H. came up to tea, & after tea I went back to read to Uncle E.- he was readin the Famous Female Sovereigns that I got from the Powers, & it was Cleopatra that night. Then I went back & Tom gave him his views on my character delineation. He thought it extremely good, except that it said I wasn’t jealous & didn’t express my opinions freely. D. considers it is right in saying I am not over sensitive, thinks me insensitive in some ways, not resenting things when I should but thin skinned in others. Its queer how she thinks me easily
(135) offended by things her family wouldn’t mind & I, with them, always feel I must be careful or I may offend them without knowing how. She sang My love is like, and Lido Waters, a song that always agonises me, and the Flowers of the Forest etc & the Bonny Cuckoo, and Tom played. D. had made a very pretty dress out of her old blue summer coat.
Saturday 27th. – I got a Republican pincushion & some more handkerchiefs from Lasairfhiona, who seems very pleased with the 3 opal ring I sent her. Eileen Dwyer came to afternoon tea, & told me about her Xmas presents & her & her mother’s experiences in minding Steenie’s son. She says Hilda & her husband used to beat George sometimes & spoil him other times. Its funny how she and her mother used to constitute an alliance against the married one & their children.
(136) I went to tea to the carstand Powers, and had a very cheerful evening. They had a poor Christmas, & reproached the postman. He brought them a registered letter and presented it with congratulation, but it was only some legal document for the Alderman. They – or July – told my fortune with cards, it was good but they did not pretend to believe in it, and my wishes did not come true. They talked about P. W. Kenny & how pleasant he is socially & as a travelling companion; he & Dr. White came to ask Ald P. to stand for the Centre Ward with them, but he wouldn’t, & the girls fought bitterly with Kenny, while Dr W. “sat bowed down with grief” at their quarreling. Rebel was there, looking lovely. They sang for me rather well, & I danced its dreadful how I forget steps. I think it was this day
(137) that I came to the end of Callaghan.
Sunday 28 Dec. – I went for a walk with Tom and Louis in the morning, & it rained and we came back to Suirview & visite a while. L. was very good, playing about the floor. It seems D. is worn out minding him, & they want to get Maude Watson for a while & let D. go away. But it was afterwards found that M.W. could not come. Rain all the evening.
Featured Image: Image from page 17 of “Catalogue of Sunday School supplies for Christmas 1897.” (1897)