2 December 2021
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
A new podcast featuring the letters passed between Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan has been created by the Michael Collins House Museum, Clonakilty to mark the centenary of the signing of the Anglo Irish Treaty. My Dearest Kitty is an eleven-episode series funded by Cork County Council’s Commemorations Committee.
One hundred years ago, as Michael Collins assisted in leading the Anglo Irish Treaty negotiation in London, he was also negotiating a new and long-distance personal relationship with Kitty Kiernan. This podcast tells the story of their evolving relationship as well as the developing story of the Anglo Irish Treaty negotiations through their 300 letters and telegrams.
Background information: Often referred to as ‘The Big Fella’, Michael Collins is a key figure in Irish history
Background information: There was an upsurge of interest in Collins in the 1990s when a Hollywood movie ‘Michael Collins’ was released, and now there is a similar increase due to the 100th anniversary of various 1921 events.
Episode one is now available on the Michael Collins House website and YouTube channel. Episodes will be released daily until December 6th, the centenary of the signing of the Anglo Irish Treaty.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Gillian Coughlan said, “My Dearest Kitty is a fascinating podcast looking at Ireland’s most tragic love story. Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan wrote more than 300 letters to each other and their words have been brought to life in this beautifully produced series. The correspondence is affectionate, loving, and romantic, yet it also reveals elements of the couple’s power dynamic as they seek to establish their relationship. It is wonderful to hear about the personal and political lives of Michael Collins in this way, as we begin to understand the weight of issues occupying his mind in the momentous weeks of the Anglo-Irish negotiations. Cork County Council is proud to support the creation of this podcast series through the Commemorations Committee, as we mark the events that define our history and inform who we are as a nation today.”
My Dearest Kitty is based on a script by Michael Collins House Museum, Clonakilty. The podcast and accompanying videos have been professionally produced. Episodes will be uploaded daily to https://www.michaelcollinshouse.ie and the Michael Collins House Museum YouTube channel until Monday, December 6th.