The Protestant ascendancy, and members of the wealthy upper middle classes, have tended to dominate in discussions of the Protestants of independent Ireland, with little knowledge of the cultural or folk aspects of Protestants’ identity and behaviour or of the socio-economic diversity of Irish Protestants. In particular, the experiences of rural and urban working-class Protestants … Continue reading Culture and Tradition and the Protestants of Independent Ireland
This addition to our Decade of Centenaries series is quite unusual and not very well known. From November 1922 until January 1923 there was a flurry of correspondence between Desmond FitzGerald, Irish Pro-Treaty Minister of External Affairs, and Mark Sturgis, Irish Colonial Office, concerning the establishment of an internment camp for Republican prisoners on the … Continue reading DOC Series: Interned on St Helena
The Franciscan Book Collection at UCD Library Special Collections In 2000 the Irish Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor: OFM) and University College Dublin (UCD) agreed a legal partnership, administered by the UCD-OFM partnership committee, whereby The Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute for the Study of Irish History and Civilisation was established. It was agreed that some … Continue reading A Well-Travelled Collection
The harvest comes as a time of abundance and fruition, with crops that grew in unhurried determination through the wind and rain of spring now standing ripened and ready for gathering. For our forebears, this was a time of great celebration, as it marked the point at which the lean months of June and ‘Hungry … Continue reading PROFUSION AND PLENTY–THE HARVEST IN IRISH TRADITION
We continue our Decade of Centenaries series by focusing on a scrapbook kept by Frank Carney, a prisoner in Ballykinlar Internment Camp. Frank Carney was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh on April 25, 1896. He joined the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at the outbreak of war in 1914, but due to continuous bouts of ill health, … Continue reading DOC Series: Ballykinlar Internment Camp
The Evertype editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Originally conceived by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson as a story to amuse Alice Liddell and her sisters during a boat trip at Oxford, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865 under the author’s pseudonym of Lewis Carroll. It has not been out of print since it … Continue reading Alice’s Many Visits to Wonderland
Have you ever noticed any seals while exploring the Irish coastline? Has one ever spoken to you? According to several legends collected by the Irish Folklore Commission (IFC), this strange occurrence was experienced by fishermen and seal hunters in times gone by. Legends featuring speaking seals were collected by the IFC, as well as legends … Continue reading People Under Enchantment
When you hear the name Arthur Cox it's most likely that the internationally renowned law firm is the first thing that springs to mind. But the man, Arthur Cox, was not only one of the founders of this law firm he was also a politican, an artist and a priest. Drawing room of Arthur's childhood … Continue reading Arthur Cox, more than just a Law firm
Academic, critic and poet Maurice Harmon will turn 90 years old on June 21st 2020. Harmon’s library and archive was transferred to UCD Special Collections in 2016. Harmon has been a towering figure in the field of Anglo Irish literature. The archive reflects the various aspects of Harmon’s work and demonstrates the pivotal role he … Continue reading Maurice Harmon turns 90
One of the modules in the MA in UCD’s Irish Folklore and Ethnology program is a brief internship in archival methods. This module typically takes place in the National Folklore Collection (NFC), but the 2020 module was moved online due to COVID-19. For the 2020 module, students were given a number of topics to choose … Continue reading Infectious Diseases in the National Folklore Collection