Charles Welsh was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England on December 22, 1850, to Charles and Susannah Welsh. After attending national schools in Ashford, Kent, Welsh trained as a blacksmith in addition to receiving certificates in arithmetic, English literature and French. In 1868, Welsh went to work for The British Trade Journal as a reporter, using his knowledge of mechanics to write about new agricultural machinery. A publishing career soon followed with positions at Henry S. Ring & Co., (1870), and the Griffith Farran Co., (1877), where Welsh would eventually become a partner in 1884.

Welsh later moved to the United States, and in 1895 began work as the business manager and assistant editor at Art Amateur magazine. Welsh was soon considered a specialist of juvenile literature for the publication and in the years to follow he wrote and published many English and Irish themed works aimed at the young adult audience.

Because of Welsh's literary reputation and close connections in England and Ireland, he was able to assume the position of managing editor for a project at the publishing house of John D. Morris & Co. (Philadelphia) for the creation of an Irish literature anthology.

The Irish Literature anthology (10 vols.) was first published in 1904 by John D. Morris & Co.. As this was a collabrative work, the chief editor was Justin McCarthy (1830-1912). McCarthy, an Irish Nationalist who fought for Irish independence as a liberal home rule representative in the English House of Commons, was a well known noted author in his own right. Contributing editors to the anthology also included Maurice F. Egan, Douglas Hyde, Lady Gregory, James Jeffrey Roche, and Welsh, who became the managing editor for the anthology.

The anthology consists of over three hundred and fifty Irish authors, selected from both ancient and modern times. These literary works provide insight into both the literary and social development of the Irish people over the course of Irish history. Works of mythology, fable, fiction, history, oratory, science, memoirs, essays, drama, and poetry, were included in the anthology.

Welsh's interest in Irish culture and society are further expressed in the news clippings and articles he accumulated, which directly relate to Irish literary, social, and political movements of the time. These pieces, as well as supplemental materials that detail the editing and publication process of Irish Literature, were discovered within Welsh's personal copy of the anthology. Welsh eventually became an English professor at the University of Notre Dame. He died on September 14, 1914.

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The ten volume anthology Irish Literature, featured in this collection, was the personal set owned by managing editor, Charles Welsh. The collection includes correspondence between Welsh and the authors featured in the anthology, illustrations, manuscripts, book reviews, and published magazine articles. The collection also includes numerous news clippings that pertain to the political, economic, and cultural events of early twentieth century Ireland.

These materials were collected by Welsh and serve to show the extent of collabration of those that helped produce the Irish Literature anthology as well as offering valuable insight into the social and literary development of Ireland over the course of its history.

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This collection is arranged into five series.

Series list

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Researchers wishing to find materials related to this collection should search the HELIN catalog with these index terms -- View the catalog record for this collection.

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This particular copy of the ten volume Irish Literature anthology contained within the collection was owned by Welsh. The additional materials were accquired by Welsh while he was the managing-editor during the publication of the anthology. After Welsh's death the 10 volume anthology Irish Literature and related materials found their way into the custody of George L. Considine.

Charles Welsh papers , Providence College Library, Special and Archival Collections

The collection was donated by George L. Considine (Providence College, Class of 1932) to Providence College in 1969.

The collection was originally processed in 1977.

Finding aid prepared by Providence College Archives staff.

Finding aid encoded by Shannon McNamara, 2009 Jan 26

Open for research.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Librarian of Special and Archival Collections when in compliance to the College's policy on copyright and publication.

No materials were separated from this collection.

See the HELIN catalog for the availablity of a circulating copy of Irish Literature

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