Reflecting it provenance the bulk of this collection relates to Arthur Shields, it also includes a number of documents relating to Barry Fitzgerald and Aideen O'Connor. A small number of documents relating to Christine and Laurie Shields and a handful of documents relating to other members of the family.
The material relating to Arthur Shields relates primarily to his adult life, the collection includes a considerable amount of material relating to the Abbey tours of North America in 1931-1932, 1932-1933, 1934-1935. The collection also includes a large amount of photocopies collected from other sources, this material was collected by Arthur Shields widow Laurie Bailey in the early 1970s. It includes correspondence with his sister Lini during the 1931-1932 tour.
The collection also includes photocopies of a large amount of material relating to Arthur Shields involvement with Edward Choate and Paul Vincent Carroll during the period c.1939-1944. Also included is a Typescript manuscript of Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten. Perhaps reflecting Shields' own lack of interest in some of the film and television work he was involved with the collection includes comparatively little material relating to this aspect of his career. A major exception being material relating to Jean Renoir's The River, filmed in India during 1950. Shields corresponded with a number of important Irish literary and theatrical figures and this collection includes correspondence with Sean O'Casey, Ulick O'Connor, Cyril Cusack, J.M. Kerrigan, Rutherford Mayne, William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory. However only a few letters from each of these people is included in this collection. The collection also includes material relating to Barry Fitzgerald. This part of the collection includes correspondence, tax forms and membership cards for various bodies. There is little or no textural material relating to Fitzgerald's Hollywood career, however the collection includes a large number of publicity photographs and newspaper clippings relating to this aspect of Fitzgerald's career. The material relating to Aideen O'Connor includes photocopies of correspondence with her sisters sent during the Abbey tours of 1934-1935 and 1937-1938. In this correspondence she reflects on American life and describes meeting various Hollywood stars including John Wayne. This collection also includes a number of non-textual records and printed material. This includes copies of several periodicals which Arthur Shields collected, newspaper clippings and Abbey programmers. Over 500 photographs, including publicity photographs from the Abbey and from Hollywood. Also included are a number of sound recordings of interviews Arthur Shields gave late in his life and a DVD copy of a television interview given to Arthur Shields' friend Dr. Homer D. Swandler of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
