Digital Archive
Thomas Reilly, Dublin, to John M. Kelly, Dublin, [25 May 1846] (postmarked 29 May 184(6?))
Luaigh an doiciméad seo Amharcóir IIIF
Bailiúchán Thomas Reilly Letters
Title Thomas Reilly, Dublin, to John M. Kelly, Dublin, [25 May 1846] (postmarked 29 May 184(6?))
Description Reilly's writing generally marks him as a typical literary, romantic radical of 1848. He felt destined by the gods as a special man of destiny; along with the romanticism was a basic impracticality which showed itself in his basically flippent attitude toward the scheme of the American Irish Volunteers to invade Ireland. Men like this would become discouraged, and would drift out of Irish nation-alism; practical men of experience like Doheny and 0'Mahony would work to organize and persist. Another example, men like Reilly could write about the con-current Famine, but they had to relate that disaster to their own emotions and tender sensibilities. They could not really relate to the awful actuality of the Famine for the Irish peasants. Thus, Reilly wrote to Kelly: "I have learned the whole of you are in good health, and am glad you are away from this foetid neignbour-hood where the cholera is doing some havoc, Indeed, my life is very gloomy I see no hopeful ray in the skies, every prospect seems dark, and events only thicken the atmospheric gloom [... I have been looking in the face of this poor country very intently I pity its emaciated state, the nostrums which are applied to heal the disease have almost killed the body. If this drugged system ever becomes healthy, Mliracles shall never cease -". [29 May 1846 was a Friday. As the letter was dated simply as "Monday 8 OC", it was thus likely written on 25 May 1846]
Date 25/05/1846
Date Issued 27/03/2023
Cineál Acmhainne Text
Archival Record Id p155/42/5
Publisher University of Galway
Extent 5pp
Topic Thomas Reilly Letters
Geographic Dublin (city),Dublin (county),Ireland
Temporal Nineteenth century,Eighteen forties
Genre Transcript,Reproduction
Note Title, description and transcript text by Dr. Bruce D. Boling (collaborator of Professor Kerby Miller).
Creator / Author Name Thomas Reilly