Tom Kettle

Biographical History

Born in north County Dublin and educated at North Richmond Street Christian Brothers, Clongowes Wood and UCD, he was the son of Andrew Kettle, a leading Land League activist. Called to the bar in 1905, elected Nationalist MP for East Tyrone in 1906, he resigned his seat in 1910 having been appointed to the Professorship of National Economics in UCD the previous year. He joined the Irish Volunteers on their formation in 1913 and was in Belgium to procure arms when the First World War broke out. He took a commission in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was dismayed by the Easter Rising and the subsequent executions, volunteered for active service and was killed at Ginchy on the Somme in September 1916.

Archival History

This collection was deposited in UCD Archives by Conor Cruise O'Brien.

Scope and Content

Papers principally of Tom Kettle but containing some papers of his wife, Mary Sheehy Kettle.

Personal and political correspondence (1904–18). Correspondence, articles, news reports, notes and memorabilia from his American tour (1906–7). Some material relating to his career as MP for East Tyrone (1906–10) and as Professor of National Economics at University College Dublin (1909–16) including correspondence, notes, essays, texts of lectures and articles on economic subjects. Drafts and final versions of poems (1912–16) and correspondence and lectures on literary subjects (1908–13).

Drafts of articles on the Great War, material concerning his military service (1914–16) and letters of condolence (1916–17).

Personal correspondence of Mary Sheehy Kettle (1907–38) including correspondence concerning her husband’s published work (1917–50). Material concerning her involvement with the Irish Convention (1917) and her involvement with other issues and organisations (1918–50) including the Irish Nationalist Veterans’ Association (1926–30). Family papers and memorabilia (1907–32).

Access: Available byappointmentto holders of a UCD Archives reader's ticket. Produced for consultation in microform.

Language: English

Finding aid: Descriptive catalogue