The Friends gave a grant of €10,000 to the National Library of Ireland towards the purchase at auction of the very important papers of Senator James Douglas, a significant figure in political life in the early years of the Irish Free State. The papers cover a variety of subjects, including the drafting of the Free State Constitution which preceded the present Constitution adopted by the People in 1937; letters from Michael Collins; the work of the White Cross during the Civil War and the proposed Divorce Bill of 1925. The Douglas collection will be an important source for historians and people interested in research into the formative years of the State.
