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
We continue our Decade of Centenaries series by looking at the collection of Captain Daniel Mulvihill, I.R.A. County Liaison Officer in Kerry. Captain Mulvihill’s collection consists of correspondence files with the officers of the I.R.A Battalions and Brigades throughout the county of Kerry, and with the county and district inspectors of the Royal Irish Constabulary … Continue reading DOC Series: Kerry I.R.A
Amid the stress and worry of the world we now find ourselves living in, the change of pace over the past few months has offered many of us time to think more deeply about our immediate surroundings. Whether small reflections on the pleasure gained from hearing birdsong more clearly, or noticing the small progressive changes … Continue reading The Last Hour of the Night
In Irish folk tradition, the calendar is principally split into ‘Quarter Days’, so called as they divide the year into each of its four seasons of autumn (Lammas / Lúnasa), winter (Halloween / Samhain), spring (St. Brigid’s Day / Imbolc), and of course summer (May Day / Bealtaine), which falls on the 1st of May. In marking the transition … Continue reading Welcome, noble summer!
Our next installment of the Decade of Centenaries series features the diary of Seamus McCann. McCann played an active role in the War of Independence in the north of Ireland, mainly in places around Donegal and Derry. This diary was written by McCann in 1939 and gives an account of manoeuvres, training and ambushes on … Continue reading DoC Series: War of Independence Diary
In these unprecedented times, people have been sharing poetry as a way to lift the public mood. Seamus Heaney’s words ‘If we can winter this one out, we can summer anywhere’ have offered solace and hope. Derek Mahon’s Everything’s going to be alright was been broadcast to the nation at the end of a news … Continue reading Words True and Kind
In this time of uncertainty UCD Cultural Heritage Collections will continue to post blogs about the historical gems in our collections. Hopefully these will provide you with a little ray of sunshine in this dark time. From the work of the Irish Folklore Commission’s first full-time folklore collector of the Donegal Gaeltacht, Seán Ó hEochaidh, … Continue reading As wonderful a woman as ever I did meet