Dublin City Libraries & Archives

Welcome to the Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive Podcast. In this episode, Mary Muldowney looks at the lives of Dubliners who worked for the Great Southern and Western Railway in the early years of the 21st century. At the time the Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest railway system in Ireland and it was a significant employer in Dublin. Mary looks at working conditions, pay,...

Tessa Finn, discusses and reads some of the extraordinary love letters between her grandparents written during the turbulent year of the 1916 Rising. The letters provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of two people growing in love, not involved in the conflict but touched by it in many ways. Recorded in front of a live audience at Rathmines Library on 25 August 2016 as part of the Libraries' H...

Architects Klaus Unger and Stephen Kane present a history of Dublin City's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, formerly named Sackville Street. Hear about the unique design features of some of its landmark buildings and the stories behind them and find out more about the influence of the Wide Street Commission, Lord Gardiner, and renowned architects Edward Lovett Pearce, Richard Cassels, James Ga...

Award winning writer Cecil Allen talks about the colourful history of The Queen's Theatre, which was located in Pearse Street and which, from its earliest days until its closure in 1969, celebrated Ireland’s heroes and her historical characters. Recorded in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 24 August 2016. The Irish Theatre Archive, held at Dublin City Library and Archive was fo...

Welcome to the Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive Podcast. In this episode Akhil Sharma, winner of the 2016 International Dublin literary Award reads from his winning book 'Family Life'. The reading is followed by a Question and Answer session introduced and moderated by Niall MacMonagle. Recorded in front of a live audience in Dublin City Library and Archive on 10 June 2016.

Ian Kelly talks about his great-aunt Elizabeth O'Farrell, her role in the 1916 Rising, her work as a midwife in Holles Street and her legacy. Listen to 'The Tricolour Ribbon' sung by Antoinette Heery, to Ian reading Liam Mac Uistín's poem "We saw a vision", and to Divisional Librarian Anne-Marie Kelly performing her original vignette 'Elizabeth Looks Back'. Part of a seminar held in Dublin City Ha...

Dublin City Archivist Mary Clark talks about the 1916 Proclamation so kindly donated to Dublin City Council by the family of Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell, and tells the story of how the original signatures were chewed to a pulp by Michael Molloy. One of three talks given at a seminar held in Dublin City Hall on 25 April 2016.

Elizabeth D’Arcy shares the exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking story of how she conserved the 1916 Proclamation so kindly donated to Dublin City Council by the family of Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell. One of three talks given at a seminar held in Dublin City Hall on 25 April 2016. Liz D'Arcy, Paperworks, Studio for Paper Conservation is qualified with an MA in Conservation of Fine Art on Paper. Liz...

Historian Donal Fallon discusses the history of commemorating the 1916 Rising, while looking at events such as the first anniversary in 1917, the often-violent Easter parades of 1930s Dublin and the 50th anniversary in 1966. Recorded in front of a live audience in Dublin City Library and Archive on 23 June 2016 as part of the Dublin City Council 1916 Centenary Programme. Donal Fallon runs the Come...

In this, the third in a series of three lectures by Doctor Brian Hanley, he looks at how the 1916 Rising has been remembered, why it has become controversial and the various interpretations of its significance 100 years on. Recorded in front of a live audience in Rathmines Library on 9 March 2016 as part of the Dublin City Council 1916 Centenary Programme. Dr Brian Hanley is a historian and author...

In this, the second in a series of three lectures by Doctor Brian Hanley, he examines the first day of the 1916 Rising, the military strategy of the rebels and popular reactions to the revolt. Recorded in front of a live audience in Rathmines Library on 2 March 2016 as part of the Dublin City Council 1916 Centenary Programme. Dr Brian Hanley is a historian and author. His publications include The...

In this, the first in a series of three lectures by Doctor Brian Hanley, he looks at Dublin society and politics on the eve of the 1916 Rising. Recorded in front of a live audience in Rathmines Library on 24 February 2016 as part of the Dublin City Council 1916 Centenary Programme. Dr Brian Hanley is a historian and author. His publications include The IRA : a documentary history 1916-2005 (2015),...

Pádraig Yeates looks at crime in Dublin in 1916. The 19th Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture, was recorded in front of a live audience at Dublin City Library and Archive on 21 January, 2016. Pádraig Yeates is a journalist, trade union activist and distinguished social and labour historian. He is an expert on the history of Dublin in the early decades of the 20th century. He is best known as the au...

Timothy Young of Yale University discusses the darker side of children's literature. Recorded in front of a live audience at Dublin City Library & Archive on 28 September 2015. Coinciding with the launch of a new database of children's books (https://nccb.tcd.ie/) and accompanying exhibition, Timothy Young (Yale University) delivered a lecture at Dublin City Library & Archive on 28th September ent...

Poet Christine Broe reads from her collection 'Lifting Light: Poems and Artwork' in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 14 October 2015. Born and still living in Dublin, Christine has worked as an art teacher, arts facilitator, and art therapist while looking after a family of seven. She has been writing poetry since the 1990s, winning the inaugural Brendan Kennelly Award in 2001....

Poet Ronan Brown reads from his collection in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 19 August 2015 as part of the Libraries' 'Speaking Words' Series. Ronan Brown was born in Manchester and grew up in Dalkey in the 50s and 60s. He worked as a chartered surveyor but has been writing poetry since the 1970s. Browne was a former member of 'Chapter and Verse', the writers' group which met...

Poet Rosemarie Rowley reads from her poetry in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 17 June 2015. Rosemarie Rowley has been writing for four decades, often in formal verse, and often about women and their experiences. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, she has worked abroad and presented papers at conferences worldwide. Her poetry collections include 'The Broken Pledge' (1985),...

Tony Riley shares practical tips on safe Internet browsing and on how to control what information you share via social media. Recorded in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 13 June 2015. Are you keen to get started on social media? Would you like to learn to tweet, comment on YouTube, share your photos and maintain your privacy on facebook? Are you looking for tips on how to prot...

Australian poet Ross Donlon reads from his collection in Pearse Street Library on 13 May 2015 as part of the Libraries' 'Speaking Words' Series. Ross Donlon lives in Castlemaine in Australia. His poems have been widely published in Australia and Ireland. The Blue Dressing Gown was published in 2011 by Profile Poetry. Tightrope Horizon (Five Islands Press) was published in 2003. Shh and Other Love...

The life of 19th century mathematician and poet William Rowan Hamilton told through a sequence of sonnets by poet Iggy McGovern and friends Paula Murphy and Noel Duffy. Recorded in front of a live audience in Pearse Street Library on 26 February 2015, as part of the 'Mind Yourself' Programme.

Mary Louise O’Donnell traces the history and evolution of Ireland's treasured national emblem, the harp and examines its glorious musical tradition. Includes harp recital. Recorded in front of a live audience in the Central Library, on 12 March 2015. The image of the harp – symbolic of the political and cultural landscape of Ireland for centuries – evokes strong sentiments in the collective Irish...

In 'Dublin as a global city: through time and space', Kevin Whelan looks at the evolution of Dublin from humble origins to global city of today. The 18th Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture, was recorded in front of a live audience at Dublin City Library and Archive on 22 January, 2015.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the publication of Finnegans Wake, Sinead Murphy and Darina Gallagher perform 'Here's Comes Everybody!', a musical journey through Finnegans Wake. Recorded in front of a live audience in Drumcondra Library on 22 May, 2014. This performance explores the musical pulse at the heart of Finnegans Wake. The irreverence and subversion of Joyce's comic masterpiece is evoked...

What do we think of when we think of Dublin? How has the history and physical shape of the city influenced its poems, songs and stories? How do poems, songs, stories, history and the built environment create our sense of Dublin as a city? Join Garrett Fagan and panellists Nessa O'Mahony, Ellen Rowley, Kelly Fitzgerald and Niamh Puirséil for a lively discussion on what makes Dublin the city that it...

Dr Howard Clarke, Emeritus Professor, Department of Medieval History, UCD, re-examines the reputation of Queen Gormlaith and Brian Boru while looking at the rules of marriage, and the bewilderingly complicated nature of the relationships between some of the key players in the battle of Clontarf. Recorded in front of a live audience on 8 April 2014 as part of the Dublin City Hall lecture series.