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
Have you ever placed something in a book? Perhaps you placed an item there for a specificreason, to mark your page, to temporarily keep an item safe, or perhaps because there was a connection between the item and the book which you were reading. You may haveremembered placing the item there or perhaps you did …
Continue reading "What lies within: a look beyond the pages"
You never really know what you’re going to find on a shelf in the Special Collections store room. Most shelves are laden with antiquated books in shades of autumn: rich brown leather, letters picked out in gold, threads of red and gold, all square edged and standing to attention like soldiers in formation. But there …
Continue reading "Bound Without Restraint: Artists’ Books in UCD Special Collections"
Today is a small note on two items in Special Collections that both explore creativity,its challenges, and its beauty. The first is Jack B. Yeats' Modern Aspects of Irish Art(1922), (1.V.10/6) , and the second is the artist's book of Róisín Stack's performancepiece No Woman is an Island (2024), (W2.J.4/7). Modern Aspects of Irish Art …
Continue reading "Advice, Old and New: On Creation and Attention"
A selection of Songs from UCD's Special Collections Reference was made to the poet MacDara Woods and the setting of his poetry to music at a concert in Dun Laoghaire’s Pavillion Theatre last December. This was a name I recognised having mentioned the poet’s name briefly in a previous blog post. The poet read his …
Continue reading "Waxing Lyrical: Songs, Poems & Singing in Special Collections"
(Cur L 30) Ink and crayon drawing at the head of the letter by A. E. 1867-1935 As it is nearing the end of my fifth month here in Special Collections, I have come across the ways in which the collection greatly inspires people in their academic endeavours, however, I believe the collection can also …
The Henry Roe Room / Christ Church Cathedral Music Room (SC.Arch.W 726.6 STR) In the introduction to A History of Music at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin reference is made to cathedrals having a place in the social and cultural lives of cities. An example of this occurred last May. People assembled in the Henry Roe Room, formed a choir …
A visit to the National Folklore Collection isn’t quite like a visit to other libraries or archives. As you enter, the door creaking gently behind you, you’re met with a certain feeling of history and possibility. It’s a feeling that you can’t quite put your finger on, but a distinct one nonetheless. Once inside you’re …
Continue reading "‘Stories through art: The Eviction by Lady Elizabeth Butler’ "
In part one of this post, we looked at a file in Josephine McNeill’s papers concerning her husband, James McNeill, governor-general of the Irish Free State. The office of governor-general was viewed with suspicion by many as a symbol of continued British involvement in Irish affairs, and it was disliked and downgraded in importance by …
Continue reading "“A considered policy”: the Governor General and Éamon de Valera (Part 2)"
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Irish Franciscan college in Rome. St. Isidore’s College (Collegio S. Isidoro) started its task of training Franciscans for the Irish mission in 1625. The anniversary has been an occasion of celebration, not only by the Franciscan order (Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M) in Rome, …
What’s wrong with Ireland? The question seems to be an ever-popular one, from the time of Gerald of Wales to that of Gay Byrne and beyond. We can think of W.B. Yeats raging against fumblers in the greasy till, James Joyce calling his homeland the “old sow that eats her farrow”, and Samuel Beckett declaring …
Continue reading "“A Bulletin of Abuse and Mockery”: Patrick Kavanagh and Kavanagh’s Weekly"