Wild style: Wolf slippers belonging to Michael Collins cause a stir on social media

The Big Fella's slippers have lasted at least 100 years and are a striking blue colour

Michael Collins: Wolf slipper owner. Colourised image: Matt Loughrey/ My Colourful Past

The National History Museum of Ireland houses all things to do with archaeology, decorative arts, folk and country life, and natural history. From Neolithic tools and pottery to more modern Irish-made scientific instruments, the collections it houses are as varied as can be, and that only hints at the treasure trove of items it has in storage.

One of those archived items came to light during an online talk to MA history students at John Moores University in Liverpool and it is a sight to behold.

In a still of the lecture, historian Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at the NMI, is seen holding aloft a pair of cobalt blue slippers with embroidered wolf heads on each shoe. 

They look like they could belong to a trendy pop star or your uber-cool hipster cousin. Their original owner, however, is far most surprising: Michael Collins.

Thanks to ⁦@BrenMalone⁩ who spoke to ⁦@LJMUHistoryMA⁩ students this morning - live from the stores of the National Museum. And as an extra treat we got to see my favourite objects - Michael Collins’ wolf slippers. #museum #irishhistory #publichistory #artefacts pic.twitter.com/oq0WnaMuAe

— Prof. Gillian O'Brien (@gillianmobrien) February 23, 2021

Yes, the Big Fella himself. 

A tweet of Malone holding the century-year-old slippers was shared by Dr Gillian O'Brien and it has become a fascinating conversation starter, with one person summing up the nation’s reaction: “Michael Collins's WHAT?” 

The Big Fella was a big fan of wolves, it seems. Picture: Scéalta Grá na hÉireann. Colourised image: Matt Loughrey/ My Colourful Past

One respondent said she had seen an old laundry list belonging to Collins that referenced two pairs of pyjamas and always wondered if they were still in someone’s possession, but said she had never heard of him owning slippers.

Another person pondered whether the Cork man would be better suited to the Green Party of today, referencing party leader Eamon Ryan’s call for wolves to be reintroduced in Ireland.

“Michael Collins shopped the Carolyn Donnelly collection at Dunnes Stores,” someone else wrote, while others questioned why copies of the slippers were not available to buy in the museum's gift shop.

History can be wild.