About Us

The Walton Collection is dedicated to the memory and extraordinary life of my grandfather, Martin A. Walton (1901-1981), and his collection of Irish historical and revolutionary books, documents, newspapers, posters, maps and memorabilia. This project is founded in the pleasure and contemplation of the events, times and ideals of a bygone age and how they impacted my grandfather's life. In beautifully reframing high-quality reproductions from these often turbulent times, we are attempting to bring his collection, which contains some very rare items, and contextualise his remarkable life, to a wider audience and anyone with an interest in Irish revolutionary history. Whether buying them for personal pleasure or as a novel gift we hope you like them.

At the time of his death in May 1981 Martin Walton had collected over 12,000 books, many quite rare, mostly on Irish History. While much of the wider book collection has been dispersed over time to family members and libraries such as Maynooth University, the core collection of important Irish historical books, newspapers and memorabilia, has been both added to and preserved in tact by his son, and my father, Patrick Walton. It has been my good fortune and a joyful time to begin to curate this collection with my father’s encouragement and his invaluable recollections of his father, for which I am extremely grateful. Over time, in addition to launching the commercial enterprise, I plan to catalogue the book library and its many interesting documents and pamphlets, so they can be made available to a wider audience on a non-commercial basis.

I am also seeking to piece together the many strands of Martin A. Walton’s life (see our Martin A. Walton Biography section which is a first attempt at this), not only as a revolutionary and senior intelligence officer in the Irish Volunteers  where we now know, at just 21 years of age, he was, to his own surprise, elected to Michael Collins vacant seat on the IRB Supreme Council immediately following Collins' death, but also to capture other aspects of his life, as a successful and innovative businessman, music publisher, horticulturalist, dog breeder, and as a well-known scholar of Irish history,  music and culture, of which his book collection is a remarkable testimony.

In addition to offering high quality and beautifully framed material, my hope is that by providing visitors to this site with new information and materials on a regular  basis, that we will be able to make this website of natural interest to anyone fascinated by Ireland's journey to an independent Republic, as well detailing some aspects of my grandfather's contribution to Irish society during the last century.

So do stay in touch with us, join our mailing list, and check in on this website now and again. We will welcome any material, feedback, or knowledge you can add or provide us with, either in the context of Martin A. Walton’s life, or on any observations or corrections you may have to the historical information or views we provide on this site.

David Walton
May 2024