Meet the collectors who have amassed 100,000 match programmes, coins and thimbles

Mitchelstown native David O’Donoghue might be Ireland’s biggest penny pincher.

Luckily, for the effervescent history and English teacher, this is something of a compliment. The 36-year-old, who has been living in Colombia with his wife Catalina since 2020, is a passionate numismatist. His impressive assortment of notes and coins- some of which date back as far as 1919- are the product of 26 years of collecting.

His fascination with currency began when David was just 10 years old.

“I remember my granduncle, God rest him...He had a load of old coins. I took an interest in them as a child. He saw how much they fascinated me and one day he just gave them to me. That was the start of it all. I began to organise them all into a folder with a friend. We shared the same pastime. If he had spare coins he would give them to me and I would do the same for him.”

The 36-year-old describes his hobby as the study and collecting of coins, notes, and other items used as money. While he enjoys this as a causal hobby, his collection also has a deeper resonance. The numismatist outlined his fascination with the historical and artistic elements of currency.

“I stopped for a while,” he admits. “Then I found out that a colleague of mine was interested in this kind of thing and they got me back into it. There are different conventions where you can go and meet with other collectors and show off your collection. Some people treat it as a business. You get some notes and coins that are worth a lot of money depending on how scarce they are. I’m not interested in the business side of things to tell you the truth. For me it’s all about the history behind the note. I particularly like the ones with fauna on them because I’ve always loved nature. Some of my favourites are the ones from Peru because they have around 10 different animals on them and I just thought this was very nice.”

David proudly showcased his collection during a Skype call from his home in Columbia.

“I have all my notes in Colombia, but the coins are back home in Ireland because they were too heavy to travel with. This is the reason why many numismatists prefer to only collect notes.”

He leafed through the pages of a folder containing some of his most prized possessions.

“The notes are normally rated. 10 means it’s uncirculated and perfect. You might say it’s fresh from the bank. One of my only Irish ones is a ten shilling note. Unfortunately, it’s not in the best condition that I’d like. You get some notes from certain countries that are very rare and special. Anything from Africa in the sixties or seventies that’s in good condition is great to have. Then you have currency from some of the Caribbean islands which is pretty special as well. There are also the countries that existed for a short period of time. For whatever reason their government disintegrated.”

Many of David’s pieces tell a story.

“The money from the Philippines when it was occupied by the Japanese is probably the most special to me. I’d have to say the old French francs are the nicest to look at. The oldest I have here are German marks from 1919, the year of the Treaty of Versailles. It’s so large in size it doesn’t even fit into a sleeve in the folder. Even though the note itself isn’t the prettiest, what’s more important to me is the context behind it. After the Treaty of Versailles they had this massive hyperinflation. It might have been worth something at the time it was printed but only a few years later it was worthless.”

David enjoys the collecting culture where he lives in Colombia.

“Sometimes there are very subtle details that can only be appreciated by collectors. As a numismatist. you have to have a keen eye for detail. For example I have a five cent coin and the only thing that makes it special is that there is a dot where there wouldn’t normally be a dot. Even though I don’t have any intention of turning this into a business I did bring my collection to a convention where I put it on display. It was just for the craic really. I bought a few notes and sold a few spares. Colombia has a big numismatic culture so it was great to be in the thick of it all.”

A passion for programmes

Frank Riordan might have enough match programmes to wallpaper his entire northside home with, after accumulating around 100,000 to date.

It’s a passion the 66-year-old cannot seem to shake off, even after several decades.

After moving back to Cork from Derry in recent years, he had made the difficult decision to part with some of his beloved match programmes. He hopes that his generosity, however, will contribute to keeping the scene alive. The Imperial Hotel concierge said he enjoys offering advice to young collectors starting out.

Frank bought his first programme as a teenager. Today, his array of match programmes pepper almost every corner of the home he shares with his wife Caroline in Blarney Street.

From Cobh Ramblers FC V Fulham FC in 1983 to Cork Hibernians V Sunderland in 1973, every match programme holds a special meaning for Frank.

He cast his mind back to where it all began.

“I starting collecting match programmes when I was a school boy. The first programme I got was from Gerry Phelan’s, an old bookstore on Shandon Street. They used to do shows in the Imperial Hotel. I approached Gerry Phelan at the time and they said they had a match programme coming in on the Monday. It was Ireland Vs Hungary in the Mardyke in 1939. This was very historical because it was the first international played outside Dublin. I got it for £5. Then I met a guy who was interested in them who said he might be able to give me a good start on the programme scene. I parted with them, but he kept his promise and gave me loads of programmes. From then on in I kept collecting. It was a labour of love because we used to collect the newspapers as well and make scrapbooks for all the League of Ireland matches. My brother worked in CIE and he would pick up all the newspapers that were left behind on the trains. We put them into a big album which I still have today.”

The Cork man said he had to be creative in attaining match programmes as a boy.

“When it came to going to the matches, you’d have to try and get in with someone for free. After a game, a fella might give you a programme. As a school boy you just wouldn’t have been able to afford it. I met collectors and they would often help you out. You might have one they wanted and, likewise, they’d pick up something for you in return. I saved them all because I’d caught the bug at that point.”

Frank said he only became a “serious” collector at the age of 21.

“I started going to programme fairs and picking up cup finals and getting sets put together.”

Even love wasn’t enough to come between Frank and his match programmes.

“I met my wife in 1980. We were both working in the Imperial. She was a waitress and I was a porter. She would have known about my collection as there were often guys dropping programmes for me at the Imperial. Some told me that their wives wanted them to get rid of the programmes. They might give me a whole bag, but I was always delighted with whatever I got. Caroline and I began dating and got married in 1983. The hotel had changed hands and in 1999 we decided to move back to Derry, where she’s from. There was a ceasefire in Derry and property was very cheap at the time. We got a good price and spent 23 years there before moving back to Cork. Collecting kept me sane in Derry because it really passed the time for me. It was a really enjoyable hobby. I might sit down to look at one programme. Before I knew it, it was 6pm. I’m still collecting all these years later. In fact, there were match programmes that I gave away 20 years ago that were coming back to me.”

Frank shares two children with his wife, namely Aaron (36) and a daughter named Aoife (40).

“I’m not into the monetary side of things. For me, it’s all about the history and the journey that the match programme has been on. That’s what I love about collecting. I have some that are worth a fortune, but for me it’s all about the memories. If you go through my programmes, you might find old school reports or pictures drawn by the kids when they were small. I came across a lovely Christmas card from my daughter Aoife that read ‘Happy Christmas mummy and daddy’. It’s difficult to believe that length of time has passed. It is these little things that are worth so much more to me than match programmes. They are worth gold.”

On what draws him to the hobby, Frank told the Holly Bough, “only collectors would understand...I suppose you would call us anoraks. There are so many things I love about collecting match programmes. I love the smell of the old paper and the fact that you are rediscovering match programmes all the time. I might get a match programme and not look at it again for five years. I’ve gotten so much joy from the hobby over the years.”

Thimble tradition

It was a holiday to London in 1981 that set Carmel Jones on a lifelong path to collecting thimbles.

The ornate pieces serve as tiny reminders of important milestones in the Cobh woman’s life. Though small in size, they document almost every holiday and occasion from the last 44 years.

Whether it was a pilgrimage to Jerusalem or a few days with the kids in Disneyland, if Carmel doesn’t have a thimble, then it didn’t happen.

Having owned a knitwear shop with her own handmade pieces in Cobh, Carmel appreciates the humble beauty of thimbles more so than most. Locked away in a cabinet lovingly made by her husband Kevin, Carmel said she has amassed more than 200 thimbles to date.

It is believed that thimbles date back all the way to neolithic times when they were fashioned from bone and stone. The materials were used to allow for ease of puncturing through thick leather and animal skins. Over the years, thimbles have evolved into decorative pieces and bijou works of art. This is evident from many of Carmel’s thimbles, including an eye-catching collectable paying tribute to the then-Prince Charles and his new wife Princess Diana.

“We happened to be on holidays in London in 1981 and we had our seven children with us,” she said of the collection’s beginnings. “Our smallest fella Michael, was only a year old. It was my oldest daughter Monica’s last holiday as she was heading off to college and we decided we’d have one last family holiday. Charles and Diana were getting married so there was very much a festive atmosphere with a lot of parties taking place at the time. I hate all the big souvenirs so when the kids spotted a little thimble with Charles and Diana’s wedding, they knew I would love it and bought it for me straight away.” The gesture sparked a tradition that continues to this day.

“From that day on, everyone bought me thimbles as presents. When the kids grew up and went on their own holidays they brought me back thimbles because they were the easiest things to carry in their luggage. My husband Kevin has a workshop and he made me a cabinet to display them all.”

She described the appeal of collecting.

“Thimbles are like postcards for me because people always bring me one back from wherever they have been in the world. I have ones from everywhere, ranging from Alaska to Lourdes. I love them, not just because they are simple and delicate. For me, thimbles are a reminder that somebody thought of you. It’s nice to be remembered.”

Carmel’s husband Kevin, has been very supportive of her collecting.

“When we moved to another house in Cobh four years ago, he washed every single one of them before putting them on display again. I have 20 grandchildren, and it’s always lovely when they come to visit. Kids are always fascinated by the thimbles. I’m not sure where the thimbles will end up when I’m gone. I don’t really mind what happens to them at all. My daughter Monica is an artist so she might appreciate them. Each one of them is interesting to look at.”

The collection evokes recollections of simpler times.

“I can’t say I have a favourite because every single one of them brings back memories. Each one is unique and special.”

This article originally appeared in the 2025 Holly Bough