This collection of music books, manuscripts, correspondence and sheet music was created by Nellie Walsh mainly during her time as song columnist at the magazine 'Ireland's own.'
Even before she began writing her 'Songs of your county' column, Nellie Walsh was an avid collector of traditional music. This collection includes lyric sheets, tonic sol-fa, and staff notation made up of handwritten sheets, many photocopies, newspaper clippings, and two booklets of songs. The handwritten selections are largely on the back of envelopes, notes, letters, postcards, and many are on the back of Old Wexford Society minutes/memos, for which Walsh was Honorary Secretary. There is even one on the back of a photograph and one on the back of a pastry bag. These are largely Irish songs (and a few are even in Irish), but also includes Scottish, Austrian, American, and English traditional music. In additon to the songs, there are also letters asking if Nellie could identify songs (including a letter to Patrick Gallagher from the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts in 1985, Raymond Flynn), notes for herself on ballad history, performance lists, and a map of Lambay.
Thirteen newspaper clippings containing stories about people from Walsh's home county, Co. Wexford. Newspaper titles and dates have been cut out, but there is a handwritten 'Wexford people' title and the date 23 January 1976 in Walsh's hand at the top of one of the clippings. These are stories, legends, and songs from the county.
