The collection relates to the work of Flynn and Lehany Coalmining Company Ltd. based on Kilronan Mountain in the Arigna coalfield.
The material itself consists of a very full record of the industry, covering the establishment of the company, as well as material relating to production, personnel and distribution. There are reports and correspondence with the various regulatory bodies associated with mineral rights, as well as technical manuals to go with the machinery used in the plant. There is also material relating to the Hewitson and Lawder estates in the Arigna area. It included details of lands purchased by the Flynn family from the estates under the auspices of the Irish Land Commission, some as early as the 1890s.
The arrangement of the collection reflects the various aspects of work associated with the Company. The first section consists of company records, usually associated with the company secretary, legal papers, correspondence and documents associated with the surveying of minerals and technologies. The legal papers are further subdivided into company legal papers such as memoranda of association, certified accounts and share certificates, as well as minutes of the Board of Directors. There is a sub-section on title deeds and the transferral of mining rights from various land-owners and companies. Correspondence is further sub-divided into company secretary correspondence (mainly with other directors and companies planning out the work of the company and possible projects), government departments (dealing with mineral rights, licences and other matters) and other correspondence (including an interesting letter from the company and workforce to John Hume making a donation to the Bloody Sunday Appeal Fund).
The financial material forms another section, dealing with the working of the mine and the financial running of the company. One section deals with tonnage, giving amounts mined by each miner, explosives licences issued by Defence Forces and An Garda Siochana to company employees, as well as catalogues and manuals of machinery used in the mine. Another section deals with time-sheets, wages and tax returns for each employee. There are sections of purchases and sales, and the final section deals with the banking arrangements of the company.
