Bennett's of Ballinacurra Descriptive List (Ref. B609)

B609/

Bennett’s ‘patriarchal’ view of his responsibilities as head of the main industry in Ballinacurra is reflected in the manner in which personal and social concerns may be traced in business records, and, conversely, business interests in his personal diaries and letters. His creation of a weather station at Ballinacurra, and his diligent reporting of readings to the meteorological services, is a further example of the convergence of his personal, scientific, and business interests (B609/2/B). Dorothy McNeill commenced to keep a diary in 1936, apparently in continuation of those kept by her stepfather. Again, they provide much information on her involvements in local society, her social interactions with Guinness officers, Cereal Station Officers, and old friends of her mother and Mr Bennett. After her marriage in 1937, to Timothy West, principal of Midleton College, her diaries contain less personal information, although those for the war years, for instance, provide an insight into the effects of the ‘Emergency’ on the ground for a business such as Bennett’s. Her diaries end in 1951, and there are few personal items in the collection beyond this date. Letters regarding McNeill’s involvement in the Church of Ireland youth movement, however, shed light on the state of that Church locally and nationally at that time (B609/9/F/1). A small number of other personal items, not in any way related to the business, occur in the collection, and have been placed at the end of it. These include a diary of Edward Hallaran Bennett, uncle of John H Bennett and professor of Surgery at Trinity College Dublin. Also present are a number of personal letters by various Bennett and Hallaran antecedents from throughout the nineteenth century. Taken all together, the present collection is of immense research interest, containing much valuable raw material for economic, scientific, social, and local historians. It charts the activities of one of the most prominent firms in county Cork over a period of almost 200 years. It contains information on tillage farming and on barley growers in east Cork, with the names of growers especially well documented since 1951 (B609/2/A). There are also many records of employees, including malt house men and farm workers. It records the work of the Cereal Station at Ballinacurra, and the close interrelation between the firm, Guinness, and the Department of Agriculture in its successful operation. The management of Bennett’s farms and of his estate and premises is also well documented. A different perspective on all of this activity is provided by the personal records, which also provide social, sporting, and cultural information on a period covering from before the Famine to after the Second World War. The collection is a worthy monument to the immense contribution of the firm of John H Bennett & Co, and of Bennett and West family members and antecedents, to the history of county Cork, and to the history of malting in Ireland. Content & Structure

Scope and Content The Bennett’s of Ballinacurra collection is comprised primarily of the records of John H Bennett & Co Ltd, a malting firm which for most of its existence acted as a commission