Don Patterson

Reference code

HOYFM.ACL2024.18

Level of description

Fonds

Title

Don Patterson

Scope and content

This archive contains hundreds of documents spanning many years owned by Mr Don Patterson, a maritime research fellow, marine engineer, and member of the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's University who lived in County Donegal, Dublin and Belfast city around the 1970s. It shows his correspondence with several large entities like the Irish Fisheries Board, Queen's University Belfast, naval architects, The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, and Bergen Maritime Museum in Norway, in the 1970s, as well as books on fisheries, engineering drawings, notes, and newspaper clippings. Being involved in a 'three-year period of research into Irish fishing vessel development and its history,' in his own words, in the early 1970s, the remnants of his work are enormous, and give great insight into Ireland's fishing industry across the 20th century. Contents: Folders entitled: 'Correspondence C of Scotland,' 'Irish Boatbldrs, 'Countess Karin von der Schulenburg,' 'Dug Outs; COTS,' 'Irish Fisheries,' 'Mr. Carl de Suße,' 'Mrs. Mary Rogers,' 'Yard BIM Press Cuttings'; many newspaper clippings of Maritime news, including: an Ardglass fishery headline (1971), a clipping on Rush, a page on Hooking, Netting, and Poaching Salmon, Arklow Harbour news (1963), Two Trawlers to join Dingle Fleet (1971), Change in the Gaeltacht, (1971), Midnight Star sails out, (1971); 'Irish Ports in the Container Age' suggested reading; flashcards, notes on the fishing industry, dated 1948; letter from the Irish Maritime Press to Don Patterson in 1971; handwritten notes on fishing in the Aran Islands; a photocopied booklet of the Arklow Harbour Development Scheme (1960); Skerries Harbour Information sheet with a letter addressed to Patterson (1971); a Larne Harbour drawing (1970); a photocopy of the appendices of Notes on the dredging of fishery and other small harbours on the East Coast of Ireland; various source listings for Irish Civilisation; an official guide of Kilkeel, County Down (1971); Reminiscences and Stories of Kilkeel (1963); Cultura Maritima Irish Branch Journal, Autumn 1974; flashcard on Hookers (1950); photocopies of typescript on the 'Boats of Aran' containing assorted pages in Irish; Ireland of the Welcomes magazine, Nov.-Dec. 1973; typescript sheet on the origin of the term 'hooker'; many photocopies on Galway Hookers; correspondence to Patterson from Patrick Farrell on Currachs, nature of the Connemara people, and studying the area (1971); a Times newspaper clipping on the seaweed farmers of Connemara (1965); many photocopies from 1972 containing Queen's library photographic unit labels; a strange, hand drawn map of the west coast of Ireland; notes on hookers on the back of blank interview transcripts; typescript on the Galway Hooker and hand drawn diagrams; Irish ship vocabulary notes; technical drawings of ships from Scotland, photocopied from the original 1839 document; double-sided picture of a donkey and a ship; black and white photos of Dungora castle; application form for the Maritime Institute of Ireland, (1960s); Irish Boats and Yachting magazine (Oct. 1978); an old rock; Ireland of the Welcomes magazine, Jul-Aug 1960; correspondence from Ingemar Erikson of Sweden, with Sverige stamps, about Galway hookers also containing beautiful hand drawings of them (1971); correspondence from David Holden, public relations officer for Newcastle upon Tyne's Naval Architecture Department, concerning fellowship congratulations and reference material for research into the fishing industry (1970); BIM informational leaflets and credit plan leaflets; handwritten list of boatbuilding addressed in Bangor; list of vessels in Killybegs, 1959-72; MVF Hull technical specification (1966); large MF Vessel technical drawing plan BIM; Killybegs yard equipment price lists (1970s); large Killybegs 131 Vessel drawing plan from BIM in 1976;newspaper clipping of boats in Drogheda (1971); story about a West-German girl mating the m.v. Nordlicht in Letterkenny (1971); short notes on 'the Vikings and the Irish Sea; L. Hanna & Son Motor Cruisers buyers leaflet (1970s); 3 Hickey Boats Galway Buyers Leaflets; informational typescript of Palmers Boat Building Works in Portavogie (1960s); notes entitled, 1864 John Tyrell, Boat Builders newspaper clippings (1971); Lough Erne yachts and Kingstown Boats engineering plan photocopies; Ireland sea border maps; list of boats (1960s); notes on changes in the Irish Fishing Fleet; handwritten notes on various types of boats, the history of Irish ferries, Manx, Scottish influences, fishing methods; Manx fishing craft photocopies; typescript called: The Galway Hooker and The "Claddagh"; notes on the landscape and economy of Inishmore Aran QUB (1957); miscellaneous notes; notes on presumably different lectures; topographic map of Clifden and surrounding areas by Ordnance Survey Ireland; notes entitled 'the name hooker'; Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (1967); typescript letter from Don Patterson to Hal Sisk, concerning Galway Hookers, the state of Ireland, lack of maritime historianship, and Norwegian maritime museum trading in Ireland (1971); a similar letter to Pat [?] praising him (1971); letter from Hal Sisk about directions to his house; a letter to Mr. Sisk containing a brief outline of Patterson's life, his work, and goals in 1971; letters from Hal Sisk (1971); a Christmas card from Jugeman from Sweden (1970s); photocopies of various ship engineering drawings; a folder of old, commercial fishing vessel posters, i.e. the Scottish Zulu, Cornish Pilchard (1970s); untitled news typescript letter from BIM about expanding Irish Boatyards (1968); BIM specification for 30'-6" motor fishing vessels (1967), and motor fishing yawn (1971); large ship plan drawings; James Stafford ship plan (1961); future of Mevagh boatyard; BIM ship specifications; Caterpillar Diesel Marine Engine Manual; Ros Glas black and white photograph; photocopied Dingle harbour list from 1954-1977; two newspaper clippings about currach boats; magazine BIM press cuttings and news information (1970s); fishing news newspaper clipping (1977); BIM Marine Credit Plan Disturbs Public Sector (1976); BIM discussion document on proposed extension of activities relating to steel fabrication at Killybegs Boatyard copy for John [?] (1975); newspaper clipping of BIM apprentices gaining certificates in boatyard Killybegs (1977); Verolme Cork Dockyard Ltd. welcome/ informational packet with various documents including: a Swan Hunter News Special Supplement (May 1971), a Verolme Cork Dockyard Ltd. letter reply, addressing Patterson's questions (1970), photocopied texts on Cork Harbour's development; a letter of notification on information requests to Patterson (1970), a newspaper segment on Cork's shipbuilding history (1962), two typescript lists of new facilities at Cork Dockyard, a list of extensions, two card yard plans, a graving dock plan, a 1m x 50cm poster of all ships built by Verolme, annotated. MFV ADM Lifeboat; Motor Fishing Vessels Newspaper clippings (1946); photocopies of various diagrams, and texts on motor fishing vessels; loose items in the box; letter correspondence between Don Patterson and Joe Nolan, worker to some degree at Harland and Wolff, concerning the advisory board to the government on maritime affairs (1973); a typescript draft of working basis for proposed research into the history and future prospects of fishing vessel construction in Ireland; notes on types of (boat)craft; photocopies on Scottish and British fishing boats; BIM boat builders technical description booklet; photocopy of Sea Fisheries: the rise of the Herring Fisheries; photocopied topographic maps of Lough Neagh containing boat plans, and trout catch graphs (ref. 1949); photocopies of texts and drawings on primitive boats; magazine clipping on yachts (1970); survey notes of dugout canoes in N. Ireland (1953); photocopied texts on Irish fisheries, Ireland's Industrial resources, and a paper on fishery development from 1972; Maritime exhibition of St Michael's Wharf Dun Laoghaire (1960-61); photocopied texts on masts and sails from 1973; handwritten notes on fishing vessels; photocopies of texts including: notes on the Donegal Currach, texts on the Irish hake fishery, the Sharpie and the Sneak boat, a diagram of Skiffs, miscellaneous diagrams of Irish fishing equipment and ship hulls; Downcraft retail price booklet (1973); 'to be collected' envelope: beautiful hand sketches of 'Mowa's Star,' Skiffs, and a Harbour (one dated 1945); a miscellaneous issue of June 10th, 1977 Fishing News; *Folder entitled 'Maritime Research; a photocopy of Olof Hasslöf's paper 'Sources of Maritime History and Methods of Research' (dated 1966); miscellaneous items: two Ulster Folk and Transport Museum Questionnaires from Mr. McCaughan; A Cork Holly Bough 1974 newspaper page about 'Shipbuilding in Sherkin Island'; handwritten notes on 'Boatbuilding Technical'; a small map of significant shipbuilding areas on the island of Ireland (1970s); envelope On Her Majesty's Service; two tables of landings and values (1970); subsequent photocopies; typescript sheets on the location of Irish fishing vessels as on May 16th 1971; a summary of landings and values for Northern Ireland for the week of December 26th 1970; a photocopied list of Irish registered ships; a News Letter newspaper page with the headline 'Progress puts our ports 'on the map' (Oct. 1972); miscellaneous in the box; handwritten list of ships; list of Irish Skippers and Craft of 40ft. and upwards (Dec. 1970); unopened notes in airmail envelopes; annotated 'Work camps 1971' photocopied document; annotated 'Notes for "Skipper" (May. 1971); miscellaneous photocopies of ship listings; a letters to Patterson concerning ship listings from 'Alaina'; handwritten 'Motor Fishing Vessels Owned at Killybegs and District' list of ships built from 1933 until 1955; annotated 'Motor Fishing Vessels Owned at Green Castle and District'; subsequent handwritten notes on the subject; photocopy of a typescript of 'Greencastle Fleet as of May 1971'.

Contents