Unpublished Letters of Capt. Francis O’Neill

I am delighted to present previously unpublished correspondence between Capt. Francis O’Neill of Chicago and his friend Patrick O’Leary of Co. Cavan & Adelaide, Australia. The correspondence, kindly donated to me by Judith O’Loughlin, great granddaughter of O’Leary, consists of 5 letters from O’Neill between the years 1906-1914. Judith saw the music manuscript which O’Leary sent to O’Neill in 1922 in the Manuscript section of my Archive and reached out to me to say she had the letters in her possession for over 50 years, which were handed down through her family from her great grandfather. She very kindly scanned each letter and sent them to me to upload on my website as a compliment to her great grandfather’s manuscript. I have no doubt that these letters will be of great interest to O’Neill scholars while clearly demonstrating the strong relationship between both men. 

My thanks to Judith for her donation of the letters and family photos and bestowing on me the honor of publicizing O’Neill’s letters for the first time. Thanks also goes to my two “comrades in arms”, Michael Kelly, now living in Barna, Co. Galway, for his detailed family history of Patrick O’Leary and to Nick Whitmer of Ithaca, NY for his help in deciphering and transcribing the wonderfully intricate handwriting of Capt. Francis O’Neill. 
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all my subscribers for their encouragement and support throughout this year and I wish you and your families very Happy & Peaceful Holidays and best wishes for the New Year.
– Richie Piggott, Chicago

Francis O'Neill

Patrick O'Leary

The Letters