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 … Continue reading Canonisation of Cardinal Newman
Few people need to be convinced about the magnificence of ancient and modern Rome, but for almost two hundred years the magnificence of the eighteenth-century engraver, Giuseppe Vasi da Corleone, went under the radar. In recent decades, scholarly attention has turned to Vasi's life and works. Giuseppe Vasi was born in 1710, in Corleone, Sicily. … Continue reading The Godfather of Engraving
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 … Continue reading Dennis O’Driscoll Collection
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module (Eagle) on the moon, as Michael Collins orbited the moon in the command module (Pilot). Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 and returned to Earth on July … Continue reading Fly me to the moon!
Books are inconspicuous – readily available objects that we see daily, and that line the shelves of our homes and offices. Items that some of us treasure, or collect in great numbers. This, of course, makes a book the perfect place to hide secrets. We see this time and again, with a concealed gun featuring … Continue reading Now you see it, now you don’t!
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
UCD Special Collections holds a wonderfully lavish four volume set of early 19th century books entitled Pitture de vasi antichi de la Collection de son Excellence M. le Chevalier Hamilton. Much is known about Sir William Hamilton the antiquities collector and the influence of the dissemination of the images from the vases has been well documented. … Continue reading The Beauty of Greek Vases
