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Riobárd Langford Descriptive List (Ref. U156)

Personal archive of Riobárd Lankford. Section A comprises material directly relating to Langford’s Irish Volunteer/ IRA activities in the 1914-1923 period. Section A.1 of the arrangement contains 2 items relating to the foundation of the Irish Volunteers, including an account of the inaugural meeting of the Volunteers in Cork in Dec. 1913, which indicates Langford’s early involvement in the organisation (U156/2). Section A.2 contains a summary account of Langford’s active service, divided into 9 periods, during 1916-1923 (U156/3). Significantly, this account includes new information and covers a longer period than that found in Langford’s witness statement to the Military History Bureau in 1947. The collection contains a copy of Langford’s Military History Bureau witness statement to which he has added some short handwritten notes and comments which do not appear in the Bureau version (Section A.6) (U156/18). Section A.3 contains a small number of items relating to 1916 in Cork and the commemoration of the 50 th anniversary of 1916 in 1966, demonstrating Langford’s ongoing interest, and sometimes fractious relationship with, the various 1916 or Volunteer commemorative associations and committees (U156/6). The issue of whether Cork volunteers were eligible for 1916 medals was a matter in which Seamus Fitzgerald became involved, writing a letter to Taoiseach Sean Lemass (U156/7). A small number of items relating to the killing of Col. Smyth, divisional commander, RIC, in April 1920 by the IRA, are found in A.4 of the arrangement, including Langford’s correspondence concerning the matter with the Irish Press. (U156/10) Section A.5 mainly consists of items relating to some of Langford’s comrades in the irregular or anti-Treaty IRA such as a copy of the inquest into the shooting of Captain Timothy Kenefick (U156/13) and copies of the last letters of Richard Barrett (Dick Barrett) before his execution by the State (U156/14, 16). Section B of the arrangement contains 7 items relating to the issue of Military Service Pensions for IRA volunteers including a letter concerning Langford’s application under the Military Service Pensions Act 1934. (U156/20)