In general, I may say that these part-time collectors have been excellent, because we do our best to pick them carefully. -Seán Ó Súilleabháin, 1950 On walking into the archive of the National Folklore Collection (NFC), you are greeted by walls of numbered manuscripts. To your right are the rolling shelves holding the bright green … Continue reading Part-time Collecting for the Irish Folklore Commission
Agus muid ag ceiliúradh fhoilsiú an chéad fhoclóir Béarla–Gaeilge le 60 bliana anuas, breathnaímid siar ar réamhtheachtaí an fhoclóra chéanna agus an fear dílis a stiúraigh an togra úd. As we celebrate the publication of Ireland’s first English–Irish dictionary in 60 years, we take some time to look back at its predecessor that served us … Continue reading Ag Cruthú Foclóir Nua / What It Takes to Build A Dictionary
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
‘One of the greatest sources of information we have in Ireland is the Ordnance Survey Books, which were made about a century ago by three men, John O’Donovan, Eugene O’Curry, and George Petrie. They went around and took down all the place names of the country and recorded material of very great importance. But the … Continue reading Dear Diary…
“Your name must, and will always be, associated with the rescue at the last moment of Irish tradition.” Praise indeed when one considers that the author of such words was Séamus Ó Duilearga, honorary director of the Irish Folklore Commission (1935-1971), who was himself credited by many as being the driving force in the race … Continue reading History Recorded and History Remembered
‘I think I’ll remember all these experiences for the rest of my earthly days. I feel I’ve been immersed in a great wave that has impregnated my whole mind and being...’ So reads one of the final diary entries written by the artist Simon Coleman RHA as his field work with the Irish Folklore Commission … Continue reading Portrait of an Artist as a Folklore Collector