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The Nellie Walsh Collection Series
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Songs of your county

Nellie Walsh published a column in 'Ireland's own' entitled 'Songs of your county' from the mid 1960s to just before her death in the mid 1990s. 'Songs of your county' included the lyrics of songs tied to 32 counties across Ireland, and each column was often dedicated to one specific county, though many included features from multiple. In order to find these songs, Walsh compiled lyrics from across the Island from her own experience, but also received submissions from citizens of songs they had heard throughout their lives. Though published only as ballad sheets, many of the songs were submitted or noted in tonic sol-fa, and occaisonally with accompanying staff notation. The two sub-series in this series show the published 'Songs of your county' column, and the handwritten notes that show how Walsh constructed her column, divided by county.

Personal papers

Separate from her contribution to 'Ireland's own,' Nellie Walsh was a singer and collector of traditional Irish music who sang in local and national choirs. As a singer, she had a large collection of sheet music taped together to be performed. She collected folk songs before even starting 'Songs of your county,' so a majority of her personal papers is made up of songs compiled into manuscript books or written on the backs of envelopes, clipped from newspapers, and photocopied. The earliest date in this collection is 1936, but the majority is likely from the late 1940s until the end of her life in the late 1990s.