UCD LIBRARY CULTURAL HERITAGE COLLECTIONS
Welcome to the UCD Library Cultural Heritage Collections blog. Discover and explore the historical treasures housed within our Archives, Special Collections, National Folklore Collection and Digital Library
Thirty-three years ago, in September 1990, starting out into what used to be called an ‘MA by major research’, I first set foot in UCD Archives searching for sources for my dissertation on Ireland’s engagement with the League of Nations. There was then no Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) collection in the National Archives; it …
The beginning of October signals that we are now in the middle of the autumn season and that the long winter nights are drawing in. This is the season to pursue indoor activities and, as Hallowe’en approaches at the end of the month, the season to appreciate the spookier material within the National Folklore Collection, …
Continue reading "Cards and Card-Playing in the National Folklore Collection"
Welcome to Part 2 of Ex Libris: Bookplates in UCD Special Collections! At the close of the last post, we had arrived at the later decades of the nineteenth century, and the visual amusements offered in Édouard-Henri Avril’s bookplate design for Henry Spencer Ashbee. In this post, we continue with bookplates that also have a …
Continue reading "Ex-Libris: Bookplates in UCD Special Collections (Part 2)"
The title of Carolle J. Carter’s book about German espionage in the Irish Free State during World War Two is the perfect title for this blog post: the story of a Nazi German spy who lived in Ireland for a year and a half before being caught (much to the embarrassment of Eamon de Valera’s …
The answer to the riddle above, often quoted as a proverb in the Schools’ Collection, is of course, money. The question of coins, money and finance is a frequent theme across many aspects of folk tradition and the relevant section under ‘Trade and Communication’ in A Handbook of Irish Folklore by Seán Ó Súillebháin lists …
‘The convenience of such a label of proprietorship, printed or engraved, led to its adoption soon after the appearance of printed books. Books have been lost, borrowed, or stolen ever since type began, and a mere manuscript name is inconspicuous and easily effaced.’ John Byrne Leicester Warren (Lord de Tabley), A Guide to the Study …
Continue reading "Ex Libris: Bookplates in UCD Special Collections (Part 1)"
The summer of 1890 saw Ireland produce the winner of the men's singles (Willoughby Hamilton), women's singles (Lena Rice) and the men's doubles (Joshua Pim and Frank Stoker) at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships. In the ensuing decade, Irish tennis players won five Wimbledon singles and two men’s doubles titles. Perhaps Hamilton, Rice, Pim and …
On 15 June 2023, a portion of the Audio Collection held in the National Folklore Collection was launched on dúchas.ie. The recordings now featured on the website were collected throughout Ireland, featuring songs, music and stories in English and Irish. Most of the recordings were made with the help of sound technician Leo Corduff, and …
Often, we find ourselves engrossed in a book, —whether for a little escapism or perhaps for the purposes of research—lost amongst the words on the page. The art of writing is, of course, reason alone to become lost. However, the beauty of the book itself, as an object of material culture, can often be overlooked …
Continue reading "Delightful Devices: the art of the printer’s mark"
The archives of the Leinster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) were transferred to UCD Archives in 2014, in consultation with Professor Paul Rouse, UCD School of History. The collection has been catalogued and digitised and is available to view in our reading room by appointment, to holders of a UCDA reader’s ticket. …