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Manuscripts

Photograph of Annie O'Farrelly (MS 47,647/1/6)

The Annie O’Farrelly Papers at the National Library

by Fiona Hughes, NLI Archival Student Annie O’Farrelly (or Áine Ní Fhaircheallaigh) is typical of many figures in Irish history and the revolutionary period.  Neither a household name nor a...

Preserving the Pearse Papers at the National Library

Only very cool conservators get to work on the conservation equivalent of CSI. Yes, it's fun to wear white coats, flash the ultraviolet light around and talk abut acidity (for us, anyhow!), but the...
Manuscript 18,327

The Irish in the American Civil War

by Gavin Finlay The American Civil War of 1861-65 is one of modern history’s most catastrophic conflicts. With approximately 750,000 fatalities and 400,000 wounded, it remains the deadliest war in...
Blackberry Picking

The Seamus Heaney Literary Papers

by Frances Clarke, Archivist of the Seamus Heaney Literary Papers, 1963-2010 In November 2011 the National Library of Ireland acquired one of its most important donations for many years – the...
A view of the four courts

Pettyfoggers and Vipers

by Sean Smith, Researcher at our "Palace to Procrastination" Lawyers and the legal profession, where would we be without them? If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have Dickens’ Bleak House and...
Richard Lovell Edgeworth

The ingenious Mr. Edgeworth

by Áine Finegan, former Research and Reference Team Student As the City of Science for 2012, Dublin is playing host to all things scientific this year and here at the National Library we're...
Celebrating the first ever Bloomsday on Wednesday, 16th June 1954 - Anthony Cronin, John Ryan and Patrick Kavanagh at the Martello Tower, Sandycove, Dublin. NLI ref.: WIL pk 11(9)

Joyce Manuscripts Online - Beta but Beautiful!

by Catherine Ryan, Digital Collections Student Bloomsday On the 16th of June, 1954 the first Bloomsday was celebrated in Ireland. Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh, Anthony Cronin, Tom Joyce and John...
These billiard-playing monkeys outside our Department of Manuscripts reveal the building's antecedents as a club for gentlemen - The Kildare Street Club. Thanks to Mary Mulvihill of Ingenious Ireland for this photo.

The Kildare Street Club and the Easter Rising

by Avice-Claire McGovern, Librarian Eyewitness accounts from Tuesday, 9th May 1916 On Easter Monday, 24th April 1916, Alfred West was attending the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, when he heard...
O'Casey's Codex, Devon, 1952 NLI ref.: LO 11,702

We love...

Bean an Phoist says:  A few weeks ago, I asked NLI staff to pick things they love in our collections (maybe also about love) and to write about them for Valentine's Day. Those who weren't nimble...