The Roscommon Courthouse Fire of 1882 a contemporary document.

By Liam Byrne. The fishermen are always talking about the one that got away and in the collecting field, though many an interesting item is often lost, there are usually enough exciting finds to keep an addict happy. Collectors are always looking for an interesting item to pop up and one usually does, and often in the most unusual circumstances. The collector of material relating to Roscommon is always on the look out for an unusual postcard, photograph, billhead or document that throws some additional light on some historic event. When the author of this essay recently received some nice billheads from the Elphin and Strokestown area for the 1880s, he had no idea what additional gems the package might contain. All of the material related to the payment of bills and were either shop statements and invoices or manuscript receipts. A seasoned collector will always check both front and back of any acquisition and it was the back of a simple hand written receipt that caused the most interest here. The front of the piece of paper, measuring 8 inches by 5 carried the following hand written text Tom Collins / Wages from 4th. March to/ 19 June / 3-10-0 / Clothes 2-5-9 / Balance 1-4-3 / Send by Cheque to J (?) Conry / 19th June 82. The receipt had been written on the back of a printed note (Fig. 1) relating to the Roscommon Courthouse Fire (the story of the fire itself has been admirably dealt with by Marian Harlow in RHAS Journal Volume 6, 1996, pp. 7 11 and will not be dealt with here). The text reads Roscommon, June 15, 1882. / SIR / I have been requested to convene a Meeting to / be held in the Grand Jury Dining Room at one oclock / on Saturday, 17 th. June, for the purpose of taking steps / to relieve and to some extent compensate the sufferers / by the disastrous fire which took place here on yesterday. / A subscription list has been opened with this object, and / the meeting, which you are respectfully requested to attend, / will decide on the manner in which the fund will be appropriated. / Yours obediently, / L. P. HAYDEN. / Chairman Town Commissioners. The document is in the name of L.P. Hayden, Chairman of the Town Commissioners and proprietor of the Roscommon Messenger. It is likely therefore that the notice was printed at the Messenger works. Collecting Roscommon ephemera can become an addiction, but every now and then something comes along to make it all worthwhile. The Roscommon Fire of 1882 was a major event of the time. The survival of a contemporary document from the event is surely a bit of a miracle.

Right: Contemporary document from the time of the Roscommon Fire of 1882 calling a meeting to disburse aid to the victims.