Track 1. John Collins explains that his father, Con Collins, never spoke about the part he played in Ireland’s history and that he put his information together from letters and other sources he researched. Con Collins’s trial with Austin Stack at Pentonville Prison is discussed, and his father’s reluctance to take any part in the War of Independence and the Civil War is described. After 1916, Con Collins worked with the Post Office in Dublin and he ran for election for Sinn Féin in Limerick/ North Kerry. John recalls Helen Moloney, his father’s agent and friend since his time in London.
Track 2. John explains that he was just three years old when his father died and he discusses the reasons why people such as his father were driven to take part in the 1916 Rising. The education they had received and the insecurity and idealism which brought them together are examined. Con Collins was a member of the First Dáil and his son recalls two stories from that time about which he read in letters. He attempts to explain why his father became disillusioned when he became a member of the Third Dáil. Con Collins voted against the Treaty, resigned from politics and later set up his own business. Track 3. John’s mother was Sheila Ryan from Tipperary. She worked as a housekeeper in Benner’s Hotel, Tralee, from around 1916. She moved to the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis when De Valera was running for election for Sinn Féin. She bought Finn’s Hotel in Limerick city in 1921.
