After inadvertently catching the collecting bug at the tender age of four, an Armagh teen as now amassed an impressive archive of “thousands” of items that he hopes will some day feature in a museum.
The enthusiast behind the impressive – and eclectic – emblem-focused accumulation is Sean McCourt Kelly (18).
Turning the clock back 14 years, Sean – and his mum Anne Marie – invited Armagh I into their home to see the scale of the archive first-hand and discover its innocent beginnings.
Reminiscing, Sean explained: “It started when my dad came into the living room and he saw me sitting on the rug and he said, ‘You look a bit sad. What’s wrong with you?’ and I said I was trying to make this little village and he said to go to mum first to get shoe boxes – ‘She’ll not be short of them!’ and then go to local shops and get plastic bags to cut out the logos and stick them onto the boxes to make shops… and that’s where the fascination with the logos started.”
The logos Sean refers to form the basis of his collection. Everything that he’s amassed in the last number of years is directly connected to business or voluntary and public sector bodies and is emblazoned with their logos and emblems.
Originally, it was a simple collection of business cards and letter-headed paperwork until Sean, in 2018, sent a hand-written letter to the then Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Julie Flaherty.
Delighted to receive such a well-crafted and mannerly letter, Julie contacted Armagh I to praise the then 15-year-old Sean and, today, he says from that moment everything snowballed.
Sean was invited by the former Lord Mayor to attend tea at the Palace Demesne and to bring with him a portion of his merchandise – and this, he says, was the first of his now routine meetings.
Lord Mayor of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Julie Flaherty welcomes local collector Sean McCourt Kelly to The Palace Armagh Co.Armagh. 31 July 2018
Inspired by his meeting with Julie, when Sean approaches an organisation in search of new wares, he always takes the opportunity to request an interview too.
In preparation, he writes his questions the night before in a notebook. Then, when he’s sat face-to-face with his interviewee he diligently writes their replies in the spaces below. They serve as a personal reminder of each and every encounter he’s had.
Sean estimates that he has now met well in excess of 350 individuals and organisations since his tea with Julie including other Mayors and Chairs – past and present – of all the different Councils, chief executives of government bodies and heads of well known high street businesses like Menarys and Bassetts.
He has travelled far and wide – with the Isle of Mann his furthest destination so far – and hopes to attend London later in the year. Sean also has ambitious plans to visit other European countries in the near future to “to learn more about their systems”.
The Portadown-based pharmaceutical giant, Almac – who gifted him t-shirts and notebooks – were the first to send branded items beyond the standard printed paper format.
His mammoth collection now fills almost every corner of every room in he and his mum’s quaint Armagh, end-terrace home.
The walls are adorned with all manner of framed posters, annual reports, letters and certificates. The living room boasts a glorious display of wooden plaques – mostly from past and present Councils.
There are at least three glass display cabinets filled to bursting with badges, medals, pins, coins, teddies, money boxes, cufflinks, paper weights and other miscellaneous merchandise.
He has an umbrella stand crammed with enough brollies to keep the vonn Trapp family dry.
Pointing to an internal cupboard, Anne Marie showed Armagh I a tower of plastic containers all filled with items from Sean’s collection and she said, “there’s more in behind the sofa!”
When asked if he plans to keep collecting for the foreseeable, Sean quipped: “I don’t know about my whole life.
“People say I would need to stop it but I enjoy it. I’m very fortunate to have my mum’s support. I’m very, very lucky to have her. It’s like the mums and dads bringing their children around the country to do Irish dancing championships or football or rugby. This is my sport.”
Over the years he’s had mixed reactions from those he encounters. Most, he says, are amenable and happy to oblige. However, there are others who just can’t quite seem to get their head around his unusual passion.
“Most people are approachable and engaging but some people don’t get it,” he added. “They might say they are busy or pass it on to someone else and it gets lost then. Some people I think just don’t get it because it’s different and such a unique hobby.
“When I describe it to people, I always say it’s like collecting history. In about 10-15 years there will be no such thing as pens or paper because we are moving into a more digital world and companies are more interested now in educing their carbon footprint and climate change. In particular with the public sector there is more scrutiny surrounding public finances and where it’s best spent.”
Understanding the significance of the items in his possession, Sean sought the guidance of Armagh County Museum, in particular to help preserve his scrapbooks, letters and reports.
While there, the young hobbyist learned what may become of his collection should be decide to part ways with it.
Said Sean: “They said it wouldn’t just go to one museum, it would be broken up into lots of museums. Say, if there was a museum for the voluntary sector all the charity stuff would go to that museum and things like from Ards and North Down would go to a museum up in Bangor.”
And, he’s fine with that so long as the items are of use.
For now, Sean is volunteering two days a week in a local primary school office and continues adding to his collection in his spare time.
The hobby has provided him ample opportunity to meet with organisations and people he would perhaps never have crossed paths with otherwise. It’s also been an incredible source of learning that he hopes will stand him in good stead as he traverses the world of work.
“Part of what I do is to learn about their roles and how they would shape and influence – and in some cases implement – government policy,” explained Sean. “What I’m looking to do career-wise is something in the background in politics like policy advice or political research at Stormont. Going around and learning more about these public sector roles might hopefully get me a career within in the civil service.”
There are still a few more people that he’d really like to meet, before he’s finished.
“All of them are interesting in their own way and you don’t forget about meetings that you’ve had. They are all interesting,” said Sean.
“But I would love to meet the First Minister, Deputy First Minister, the Head of the Civil Service and Irish Prime Minister Michael D. Higgins.”
