Jackie Clarke (1927-2000) was a local businessman and collector of Irish historical material. In 2005 his widow, Mrs. Anne Clarke, gifted his collection to Mayo County Council for the people of Ballina, Mayo and Ireland. The collection, the most important collection of Irish historical material on public view, comprises over 100,000 items spanning 400 years and includes books; handbills; letters from Michael Collins, Michael Davitt and Douglas Hyde; maps; pamphlets; political cartoons; posters and proclamations. The collection also includes personal items relating to the 1916 Rising. The Jackie Clarke Collection is housed in the old Provincial Bank of Ireland (1881-2) designed by Thomas Newenham Deane and Son (formed 1878) of Dublin and sensitively restored by Mayo County Council.
Click here to visit the Jackie Clarke Collection website