Acknowledgements
The publication of this edition of The Material for Victory was supported by the University of Galway Hardiman Library Open Educational Resources (OER) Project Grant Scheme.
I am grateful to the first publishers of the memoirs, C. J. Fallon, for kindly relinquishing all claims to the copyright of the text of The Material for Victory to me and the extended Kettle family. With thanks to Brian Gilsenan, CEO at C. J. Fallon, and Dr. Fintan Lane for facilitating this.
Special thanks are due to the project’s community partner, the Kettles Heritage Society (KHS), Fingal County, which initiated and greatly encouraged this endeavour from the outset, particularly Declan Kettle (a great-great-grandson of A. J. Kettle), Mick Kelly, Eamon Madden, Myles Reilly, and Carmel Caulfield.
As a great-great-granddaughter of Andrew J. Kettle, I was delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Kettles Heritage Society as coordinator of this book project and to get to know many distant relatives united by their enthusiasm to share and learn stories about the Kettles.
The recollections of A. J. Kettle’s great-grandchildren were especially helpful in assembling the Additional Biographical Note in this edition, including: Anne Mooney (Sr. Genevieve), Mary (Kettle) Grimes, and Charlie Downey and his wife, Nollaig Rowan. Other members of the KHS and members of the extended Kettle family also shared thoughts and stories that helped to fill gaps, including Declan’s wife, Dr. Patricia Healy Kettle, Pat (Kettle) Evans, Carmel Caulfield, and Mary (McCourt) Watson.
I want to particularly thank Dr. Jane O’Brien for her research acumen, attention to detail, and excellent annotation of many of the chapters in this edition. The multi-year journey from commissioning a typescript of the original book, assembled in 1958 by Laurence J. Kettle, through different stages of research and annotation, to reanimate A. J. Kettle’s words for today’s readers, has been challenging and rewarding.
A debt of gratitude is owed to Ed Hatton for managing the production of this volume.
Niamh Reilly
October 2023
