Providential Provenance

Librarians have a very mixed attitude to markings, underlining, or scribbling on books. In most cases it is frowned upon. In one infamous case from the 1960s, the British playwright Joe Orton served six months in gaol for defacing books from Islington Public Library.  However, in other cases, far from being viewed as vandalism, โ€˜markingsโ€™ …

Ag Cruthรบ Foclรณir Nua / What It Takes to Build A Dictionary

Agus muid ag ceiliรบradh fhoilsiรบ an chรฉad fhoclรณir Bรฉarlaโ€“Gaeilge le 60 bliana anuas, breathnaรญmid siar ar rรฉamhtheachtaรญ an fhoclรณra chรฉanna agus an fear dรญlis a stiรบraigh an togra รบd.   As we celebrate the publication of Irelandโ€™s first Englishโ€“Irish dictionary in 60 years, we take some time to look back at its predecessor that served us …

A Well-Travelled Collection

The Franciscan Book Collection at UCD Library Special Collections In 2000 the Irish Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor: OFM) and University College Dublin (UCD) agreed a legal partnership, administered by the UCD-OFM partnership committee, whereby The Mรญcheรกl ร“ Clรฉirigh Institute for the Study of Irish History and Civilisation was established. It was agreed that some …

Words True and Kind

In these unprecedented times, people have been sharing poetry as a way to lift the public mood.  Seamus Heaneyโ€™s words โ€˜If we can winter this one out, we can summer anywhereโ€™ have offered solace and hope.  Derek Mahonโ€™s Everythingโ€™s going to be alright was been broadcast to the nation at the end of a news …