Context (Other owners)
Arthur Mahaffy was born in Dublin in October 1869, eldest son of classical scholar Rev. John Mahaffy, D.D., later Provost of Trinity College. He joined the Royal Munster Fusiliers and then the Colonial Service in October 1895. His first substantial position was as the British Government Agent and Resident Commissioner in the isolated Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate, now Kiribati and Tuvalu. In October 1896 he transferred to be Resident Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner of BSIP under Charles Woodford (q.v.). He remained in the Solomons for five year until September 1904 when he transferred to Fiji to work for the Colonial Secretary, Sir Everard Im Thurn.
Mahaffy returned to England in 1909 and in 1914 was re-employed as the Administrator of Dominica. He died on 30 October 1919. Details taken http://www.solomonencyclopaedia.net/biogs/E000777b.htm

The Arthur Mahaffy Pacific collection was offered for sale by his sister, Rachel, and purchased by the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, in 1923. Rachel Mahaffy oversaw Arthur's handwritten catalogue typed up on Ridgeway's advice and sent two of then, one to Von Hugel, here, who presumably gave to Ridgeway.

See undated attached letter from Rachel Mahaffy, which states she wishes to keep the collection together. Discussions with Mr Armstrong at the National Musuem Dublin, who would get a colleague to look at the collection, but 'I feel it is fully useless to think of them staying in this unhappy country where noting but politics seems to count in public affairs.'

Catalogue includes:
1- Typescript catalogue gives an overview of the Pacific, divided along Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, giving a brief colonial history and insights into material culture, from Kiribati mats, Caroline Is stone money, to religion, burial practices, currency, headhunting, pig culture, feasting, etc.
2- Catalogue Raisonnee, gives detailed descriptions and provenance of Pacific materila numbered 1-241.
3- A second envelop included the 'Supplementary collection, sent home in 1914, with a pencil inscription 'Catalogue of a collection [?] in material offer [? sic] for purchase in 1922' , numbered 1A- 48A.

These are duplicated in AO1/1/3, which is Ridgeways' copy of the material.
29/11/2018
Created by: Jos Dudding (Admin) on 29/11/2018

Description (CMS Description)
Envelope contd. description of three racial divisions of the Pacific 1) Polyn, 2) Melan, 3)Mikronesian. together with catalogue of items for possible purchase- sent E. Von Dugel. written Mahaffy. also catalogue of a collection of Pacific items offered for purchase A. von Hügel.
01/06/1998
Created by: maa on 01/06/1998