The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Eibhlin Byrne, will launch the book Early Modern Dubliners by Dr Maighréad Ní Mhurchadha, in Dublin City Library and Archive, 138 Pearse Street, on 28 August 2008 at 7.00 pm.
“Early Modern Dubliners is a window into the lives of some very different people who were faced with dreadful life-threatening problems, from plagues to war, yet they retained their independence and were proud of their homeplace. The book places us in the Dublin of 400 years ago and is a very interesting, informative and uplifting read” said the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Eibhlin Byrne.
This new publication from Dublin City Public Libraries is based on a series of four illustrated lectures given by Dr Ní Mhurchadha at different events organised by Dublin City Library and Archive since 2004.
Dr Ní Mhurchadha is an expert on 16th and 17th century Dublin and on the local history of her adopted home, Skerries. She is a native of Dublin City and her interests include the social history of Dublin City and County in the Early Modern period and the history of sport. She is the author of several books and journal articles and is much in demand as a lecturer.
As part of the evening, Dr Ní Mhurchadha will present a lecture on ‘Dublin in 1608’, introducing us to the city as it was 400 years ago. This will be followed by a wine reception.
Notes to the editor
These four talks are focused on Dublin from the late 16th until the early 17th century, the author has chosen a number of citizens and she has followed their concerns through good times and bad. She has gleaned a lot of information from archival documents, including those under the care of Dublin City Council, which record the bare facts of human life: entries in church records, funeral notices, lists of Dublin city freemen etc. She has brought these dry facts to life in a remarkable way and having read the essays we feel as if we know these people. She has brought the essays together with a lively introduction, which gives context to the world in which they lived.