BEGLEY, Rev. John. The Diocese of Limerick. Ancient and Medieval; In the 16th and 17th Centuries; From 1691 to the Present Time. Preface by Most Rev. E.T. O’Dwyer. With numerous plates, textual illustrations, and maps.

Three volumes. Dublin: Browne & Nolan, 1906/1938. First editions. octavo. pp. (1) xxiv, 469, 72 (publisher’s list), (2) xii, 569, (3) xii, 651. Green cloth, titled in gilt. A very good set of the very rare first edition.
The first volume of Begley’s three-part history of the Diocese of Limerick appeared in 1906 when the author was Curate in St Munchin’s Parish, Limerick City. The second came out in 1927 - twenty one years later - when Father John Begley had moved on to be Canon John Begley, Parish Priest of Kilmallock. The third was published in 1938 - eleven years later - when he had progressed to being Archdeacon John Begley, Parish Priest of Bruff.
The time interval between the appearance of the volumes indicates the extent of the work put into preparing them by their author. His own Preface to the first volume gives at least some idea of the pains which he took to consult every source available to him, particularly in Dublin and London, because this history is not only an ecclesiastical but also a civil one of the Diocese of Limerick. It still remains a classic among them, the original volumes having become rarities much treasured by book collectors and now almost impossible to acquire. A feature of all three volumes is that they are based on manuscript material and in some places oral tradition. Naturally, the author’s personal interpretation of his material also plays a prominent part overall. Begley’s is and will remain a great work, one which won him advancement to being Archdeacon of Limerick and also receiving an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the National University of Ireland. A fine portrait of him forms part of the permanent collection in the City Gallery of Art, Limerick.

[County History Cat]