Mary Spring Rice (1880–1924) was the second child and only daughter of Thomas Spring Rice, 2nd Baron Monteagle of Brandon, Co. Kerry, and his wife, Elizabeth Butcher. She grew up at Mount Trenchard, Foynes, Co. Limerick and was fluent Irish speaker: an active member of the Gaelic League, Mary also served on the board of … Continue reading ‘This horrible civil war is poisoning everything’: The Letters of Mary Spring Rice (1880-1924)
I am happy to inform you, dear reader, that if you are viewing this blog post, you have survived one of the most ill-fortuned days in Irish folk tradition, occurring Sunday last. Whitsunday - Domhnach Cincíse in Irish - was a day regarded with suspicion and trepidation, and Whitsuntide or Whit week, the period from … Continue reading Domhnach Cincíse, Day of Misfortune
Recently, and in part-fulfilment of my MA in Archives and Records Management, I was afforded the opportunity to arrange and catalogue material belonging to Seán Ó’Ríordáin (1917–1977) which had been donated to UCD Special Collections in the years after the accession of his principal collection. As a lifelong Gaelgeoir, I have always found resonance with … Continue reading ‘Litir pharanoiach – duit féin amháin’: Seán Ó’Ríordáin, File, Fáidh agus Draoi
Large archival collections can demonstrate to us institutional processes, providing evidence of activities and speaking to wider societal events. Sometimes, though, smaller collections can focus the historical eye on the most personal of experiences. In 2021, UCD Archives acquired the papers of Friedhelm Krüll, a German man who was brought to Ireland in the aftermath of … Continue reading Operation Shamrock
While visiting Scandinavia in 1928, a visit which influenced him greatly, Séamus Ó Duilearga was introduced to the many approaches to collecting and cataloguing folk tradition already pioneered by scholars there. The Swedish model in particular would continue to influence the systems of classification employed by the Irish Folklore Commission when it was founded seven … Continue reading Collecting Folklore by Questionnaire
The publication of this blog coincides with the anniversary of the death of Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan in April 1859. Born in Dublin, Owenson became a well-known novelist and literary celebrity in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Writing about Owenson in Some Fair Hibernians (London: Ward & Downey, 1897) Frances A. Gerard noted … Continue reading Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan: Writer and ‘Fair Hibernian’
A recent generous donation to UCD Archives illustrates the complexities of archival sources in understanding events which are traumatic, personal, and which are also caught up in the sweep of great events. Muriel MacSwiney (née Murphy, 1892–1982) married Terence MacSwiney (1879–1920) on 9 June 1917 much to the disapproval of her family. They had one … Continue reading Personal Papers and Complex Sources: Muriel and Máire MacSwiney
The 17 March 2022 sees the grand return of parades and festivities in honour of St Patrick’s Day. Whether they are parade participants or enthusiastic onlookers, we can certainly rely on the celebrating crowds to dress for the occasion. As in previous years, we will no doubt see the colour green take centre stage as … Continue reading Dressing the Part for St Patrick’s Day
Interacting with special collections and archival materials can be an impactful experience for the user. Turning the pages of a sixteenth-century book, reading a propaganda pamphlet from the Irish revolutionary period, finding notes and inscriptions of a former owner on ephemera and photographs, deciphering the handwriting of famous writer, feeling the texture of the paper, … Continue reading Special Collections: Inspiring Creative Practice
A member of Cumann na mBan, in December 1921 Lily O'Brennan (1878–1948) was on the secretarial staff of the treaty delegation, working at Hans Place, London, throughout the negotiations. An anti-treaty republican, O'Brennan was arrested during a raid on the anti-treaty headquarters at 23 Suffolk Street in November 1922 and, following this, was interned in … Continue reading DOC Series: Lily O’Brennan