(Podcast) 'Live from the Conniving House: Poetry and Music in Eighteenth-Century Dublin' the 21st Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture, was given by Dr Michael Griffin, University of Limerick at the Dublin City Library and Archive on Wednesday, 24 January 2018.
Podcast: William Spence Engineering Works Cork Street
In this podcast ‘William Spence: A Victorian engineer in the right place at the right time’, Cathy Scuffil, Dublin City Council Historian in Residence, looks at the history of William Spence Engineering Works Cork Street. The Cork Street Foundry and Engineering Works of William Spence and Son was established in Dublin in 1856. It continued trading over two generations of the Spence family, with no small measure of success until 1930. The company was situated on a large, circa 3 acre industrial site located at 105 -109 Cork Street, Dublin, on a site that, until the early 1850s, had housed the tanning and currier business of a James O’Neill, who also had a residence at 26 Cork Street.It is generally accepted that the Spence operations that evolved over the years, should be ranked among the first and finest concerns of the kind in Ireland, devoted primarily to general engineering and steel foundry. The main achievements of the company were the construction of the Birr telescope and the little trains that served the Guinness brewery, and system that was in existence in living memory. A number of church bells located in the Liberties are also of Spence origin.Of interest were the houses constructed by William Spence for his employees at Spence’s Terrace, Cork Street and at Marion Villas – which was named for his much loved wife. Upon his sudden death in 1907, the business passed to his son Arthur. The company ceased trading in 1930. ‘Plant Life’ occupies the premises today. Image of Plant Life above from Google Maps.The Rathmines Township commemorated William Spence in a unique way which Cathy reveals during her talk. Recorded on 24 November 2017 as part of Explore Your Archive (18 - 26 November 2017). ‘Explore Your Archive’ campaign is an initiative of the Archives and Records Association of Ireland and UK which aims to raise awareness of archives, their value to society and the impact they have on individual lives.Thank-you for listening to the Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive Podcast. To hear more, please subscribe on iTunes or SoundCloud.
The People, places and historical buildings of Dublin 7
Listen back to local Historian and well-known author Bernard Neary from Cabra West as he brings us on an interesting tour of Dublin 7, including the people, places and buildings of interest. Find out where the writer Iris Murdoch was born, where the poet Austin Clarke grew up and where Matt Kiernan made his Uilleann Pipes.
Listen back to a talk by Peter Clarke looking at the 225 year history of the Royal Canal, from its origins in 1789 through all its phases to the present day. The talk traces the planning and construction of the canal and will reference many places, people and events of historical interest along the course of Dublin’s beloved Royal Canal.Image: Foster Aqueduct and Royal Canal House Phibsboro (see larger image)Reserve a copy of Walking the Royal Canal by Peter Clarke from the library catalogue.Recorded at Phibsboro Library on Monday 21 August 2017 as part of Heritage Week 2017.See more at Royal Canal Amenity Group (RCAG).
What happened in Ireland after the 1916 Rising? How did the political, economic and social landscape change and what brought about independence in 1922? Listen back to a three-part lecture series delivered by Maeve Casserly Dublin City Council’s Historians-in-Residence for the South East Area. The lecture topics are:Lecture 1 - Ireland in 1917Lecture 2 - What was the War of Independence?Lecture 3 - What was the Civil War?Recorded at Rathmines Library on 12 and 26 June and Terenure Library on 20 Septemeber 2017.Lecture 1Lecture 2Lecture 3See images from this turbulent time in Irish history in the Birth of the Republic Collection available to search online at Dublin City Libraries and Archive Digital Repository.The Historians-in-residence have compiled a comprehensive booklist to accompany the Irish Revolution series of lectures:The Irish Revolution, 1917-1923: Further Reading (PDF, 363KB)This lecture series is part of Dublin City Council's Decade of Commemorations programme of events.
Anthony Horowitz in Conversation with Sinéad Crowley
Listen back to bestselling author Anthony Horowitz in conversation with author and RTÉ correspondent Sinéad Crowley, recorded in Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse St on Thursday 14 September 2017 at 7pm.
Dublin: A Year in Words is a Dublin UNESCO City of Literature project which showcased the breadth and diversity of our city’s living poets through a year-long series of poetry videos filmed across 12 Dublin bookshops.Like the city itself, the poets featured in the series are more than the sum of their parts. Collectively they tell of a Dublin full of light and shade, a city of contradictions, in constant flux. They show us that the story of Dublin is everybody’s to tell. It has no fixed points. Beyond wild, it exists far more in the unspoken and the unseen than any attempt to distil it down to a neat package can do justice to. And yet it is our poets perhaps more than anyone who have grappled with the task of laying our lifelines bare and bringing voice to the city. Dublin A Year in Words presents a cross-section of 12 poets who do just that, filmed in establishments that keep the city’s essence alive.Here's a playlist featuring all 12 poems from the series:'Dublin' by Kerrie O'Brien filmed at Books Upstairs. (August 2016)'Native' by John Cummins filmed at The Winding Stair. (September 2016)'You Think I wear this for you?' by Raneem Saleh filmed at An Siopa Leabhar. (October 2016)'vinyl Sublime' by Richard Brennan The Secret Book & Record Store. (November 2016)'The Ghost Song' by Paula Meehan filmed at Ulysses Rare Books. (December 2016)'Grangegorman' by Hazel Hogan filmed at Oxfam Books. (January 2017)'Story Buddleia' by Ophelia Mc Cabe filmed at Hodges Figgis bookstore. (February 2017)'Six Harcourt Street (An Conradh)' by Ciara Ní É filmed at Forbidden Planet. (March 2017)'City of Foot Soldiers' by Matty Tamen filmed at Eason Bookshop. (April 2017)'Some Advice' by Darragh O'Reilly filmed at Alan Hanna's bookshop. (May 2017)'Lullaby' by Stephen Clare filmed at Rathgar Bookshop. (June 2017)'Críochfort' by MC Muipéad filmed at the Gutter Bookshop. (July 2017)Dublin: A Year in Words is a celebration of what is happening in ‘the now’, supporting our living poets instead of drawing from the past.Dublin: A Year in Words was curated by Linda Devlin and Stephen James Smith and filmed by Design for Life.This Dublin UNESCO City of Literature project is kindly supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
Dublin City Hall was the venue for our third Heritage Week event, our seminar ‘Living in Victorian Dublin’. Our five speakers each spoke on a different topic, in order to cover all aspects of the Victorian city. Michael Barry was our first speaker. Author of Victorian Dublin Revealed he gave an overview of the entire city, demonstrating how many buildings, both public and domestic, have remained from that era and introducing them through his own splendid photography. Our next two speakers, Dr. Susan Galavan and Dr Jacinta Prunty, formed exact opposites. Susan’s talk was based on her new book Dublin’s Bourgeois Homes: building the Victorian suburbs 1850-1901.
What happened in Ireland after the 1916 Rising? How did the political, economic and social landscape change and what brought about independence in 1922? Listen back to a three-part lecture series delivered by Brian Hanley Dublin City Council’s Historians-in-Residence for Dublin City Library & Archive.
Listen back to Dr Brian Hanley discussing the IRA and Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. Brian details the growth of the IRA during this era, looks at key IRA figures, and cites examples of conflict with 1932 Fianna Fáil government, the Blue Shirts and the Gardaí.