Here’s something you might not know about the Big Fella.

The National Archives of Ireland and Cork County Council have announced the return of the acclaimed Michael Collins Diaries 1918-1922 exhibition this August to Michael Collins House Museum, Clonakilty.

This year’s exhibition shines a spotlight on a lesser-known, but deeply personal aspect of Michael Collins’ life: his passion for Kerry Blue Terriers, a breed he regarded as a symbol of Irish identity and nationhood.

Despite leading the struggle for Irish independence and later navigating the immense pressures of Treaty negotiations and the growing threat of civil war, Collins maintained an active passion for the breed. In October 1920, while actively evading British forces, he entered his Kerry Blue Terrier, Convict 224, in what would become the first ever Irish Kennel Club Dog Show.

Aoife Power, Administrative Officer, Cork County Council, Cllr Danny Collins, Chair of the West Cork Municipal District, Jessica Baldwin, Senior Conservator, National Archives of Ireland, Jamie Murphy, General Manager, Michael Collins House Museum. Photo: Dermot Sullivan

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to view diary entries from 1922 that reveal Collins’ continued involvement with Kerry Blues, recorded as political tensions mounted and the country edged towards civil war.

Also on display are Collins’ dog show programme, show entry papers, photographs, and other material relating to Collins’ own dogs. Together, these items offer a fascinating insight into how Collins’ personal interests endured alongside the extraordinary demands of his public life.

The diaries have undergone conservation, archival processing, and digitisation at the National Archives. Visitors can explore all five diaries in full via an interactive touchscreen display.

The diaries are on loan to the National Archives by the family of the late Liam and Betty Collins of Clonakilty.

“These diary entries provide a wonderfully human perspective on Michael Collins,” said Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Bernard Moynihan.

“At a time when Ireland stood on the brink of civil war, Collins was still taking an active interest in breeding, exhibiting, and promoting Kerry Blue Terriers. The exhibition offers visitors a unique glimpse into the man behind the statesman and military leader.”

The Michael Collins Diaries 1918-1922 exhibition runs Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 6pm throughout August at Michael Collins House, Clonakilty. Entry is free of charge.