Denny Lane Papers Descriptive List (Ref. U611)

the Irish Maiden, A Brigade Ballad’, also known as ‘Carrigdhoun’ (U611/72b). Also found are printed garlands of song lyrics from pre-1850 (U611/76 - /79). Denny Lane’s extensive business activities are not well documented in the collection, apart from a settlement with his creditors in 1855 (U611/81), and a Patent for an invention to improve gas production in 1865 (U611/82). Lane's extensive involvement in the artistic and cultural life of Cork is not well documented in the collection, although some items hint at Lane’s cultural and literary interests (U611/9, /125). The collection contains a large amount of correspondence for the period 1881-1893 concerning his work as Secretary and Resident Engineer for the Cork Gas Company. of the Gas Works (U611/104, /114) and Lane’s visits abroad, where he updated his knowledge of the latest gas and electrical technology (U611/83, 105). The material includes mention of Thomas Alva Edison’s electrical equipment (U611/94, /110). Lane also gives a few accounts of his speeches to the Institute of Gas Engineers (U611/85, /128). Also found in the collection is a small amount of correspondence relating to Lane’s wife, Mary Francis. She may have shared Denny Lane’s noted wit (U611/46). Mary received number of letters from Charles Gavan Duffy in Nice, France, after the death in November 1895 of her ‘generous and gifted husband’, of whom Duffy writes he ‘never met a more honorable or upright man. He was one of a class not growing plenty in Ireland…who thought always first of the country, and last of himself...’ (U611/151).

Arrangement Main Sections (See Table of Contents for more detail) A. SCHOOLING B. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENCE (i) Thomas Davis

(ii) Daniel Owen Madden (iii) Charles Gavan Duffy (iv) William Smith O’Brien (v) Relating to Imprisonment (1848) (vi) Regarding the David Roche Affair (1846) (vii) Other Correspondence relating to 1840’s politics (viii) Later Material C. PERSONAL MATERIAL, WRITINGS AND LYRICS D. BUSINESSMAN E. SECRETARY AND RESIDENT ENGINEER, CORK GAS COMPANY (i) Correspondence from Denny Lane (ii) Other Correspondence to J.O’Mahony, Cork Gas Company. (iii) Mary Francis Lane, Wife

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