Martin Kavanagh interview

1 audio

History / Biographical: Martin Kavanagh was born on December 16, 1895 in Wicklow, Ireland. He immigrated to Canada, to the Roblin area, in the summer of 1923. Having trained as a teacher in London, England, Martin's first teaching post in Manitoba was at Tummel. He next taught at Greenridge, then Treherne and finally in 1929, he joined the staff of Brandon Collegiate Institute (BCI). In 1946, Martin published the book "The Assiniboine Basin: A Study of Discovery, Exploration and Settlement." The research for that book, led him to champion the need for a public library in Brandon. In 1967, he published "La Verendrye: His Life and Times." In subsequent years, Martin developed an audio visual version of this work. Martin was awarded the Manitoba Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society, and in 1984, he was inducted into the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt. Martin married Katherine Power (1897-1953), with whom he had two children, Mary and Kevin. He married his second wife, Mary O'Malley (1898-1986), on December 31, 1958. Martin Kavanagh died on June 2, 1987 in Brandon, MB. He is buried at Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Custodial History: As part of the Westman Oral History Collection, this collection was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 1998. The original tapes from the Westman Oral History project were deposited in the Brandon Public Library. Copies of these originals were made by Margaret Pollex of the Brandon University Language Lab at the request of Eileen McFadden, University Archivist in the early 1990s. These copies compose the collection held in the McKee Archives.

Scope and Content: Item is an audiocassette tape containing an interview with Martin Kavanagh about his life and writings, as well as the beginnings of the Brandon Public Library. The interviewer is Betty Gibson.

Notes: History/bio information from the records, Kavanagh's obituary and the Manitoba Historical Society website. Description by Christy Henry.