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
On October 13th 2019, Cardinal John Henry Newman, first rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, will be canonised in Rome. The Catholic University of Ireland (CUI) was opened in 1854 and it is from this institution that University College Dublin traces its origins. The CUI was established as a result of opposition from the …
With summer a distant memory, and the harvest period having drawn to a close, Hallowe’en (All Hallows Eve) or OÃche Shamhna was considered a turning point in the traditional calendar year. Cattle were brought from summer pastures to fields closer to the family homestead, and corn, apples, turnips and potatoes were all harvested and stored …
Following his untimely passing in December 2012, the personal library of the poet and critic Dennis O'Driscoll was bequeathed to University College Dublin. His wife, the poet Julie O'Callaghan, facilitated delivery of the extensive collection to UCD Library in 2017. The lion's share of O'Driscoll's library now resides in UCD Special Collections where it forms …
Tomás Ó Muircheartaigh was one of Ireland’s most prolific photographers of the early 20th century. He’s perhaps best remembered for capturing the everyday life of ordinary people living in Ireland’s rural districts. Ó Muircheartaigh was born in Dublin in 1907. His father Tomás and his mother BrÃd Nà Mathúna both worked as teachers in the …
Thoughts and dreams of foreign lands are beginning to bubble beneath the surface as another academic year passes from the urgent hues of the present to the harmless sepia tones of the past. Some of us might be thinking of short breaks from the office, whilst others prepare for longer adventures after the lengthy toil …
Continue reading "There was little romantic intrigue and gigolos were as rare as snakes…"
On 24th April 2019 and exhibition of the archive of the renowned Irish playwright Frank McGuinness was launched in UCD Special Collections. The exhibition displays handwritten and typescript drafts of McGuinness's most well-known and critically acclaimed plays including The Factory Girls, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the …
Continue reading "Frank McGuinness: From Creativity to Legacy"
We have all, at one time or another, forgotten to return a borrowed book, or hung on to one lent to us for longer than we ought. Indeed, despite the best of intentions all manner of tomes and texts may at times holiday among our own collections for weeks, months or even years. Such is …
Before you jump into this enthralling blog post, we do want you to know that it is about medical illustrations that show depictions of medical conditions, and they may not be for everyone. Richmond Surgical Hospital was opened in 1811, consisted of 120 beds and was housed in an old converted convent on Channel Row, …
From a Jaunting Car to Civil War: Arthur Griffith arriving at the 2nd Dáil, 1921 The photograph shows a not unusual scene in Dublin in the 1920s. A single passenger sitting sideways on a side car pulled by a single horse and driven by a coachman - called a Jarvey in Ireland. The passenger in …
So this is our last blog post of 2018 and what a great year we have had! Thank you all for following, reading and commenting on our blogs. We really appreciate your support and suggestions. All of us at UCD Cultural Heritage Collections want to wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy …