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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. 

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.

Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath / Lord Mayor of Dublin Mícheál Mac Donncha will officially launch a new exhibition Jacob’s Biscuit Factory & Dublin: An Assorted History, today, Friday, 8 September at 1pm in Dublin City Library and Archive.Drawing on the vast 330 boxes of Jacob Biscuit Factory Archives held at Dublin City Library, and using beautifully illustrated panels, oral histories, flags and original artefacts, the exhibition tells both a chronological and thematic history of Jacob’s Biscuit Factory. The events of 1913-1922 which impacted on Ireland nationally feature prominently and using the lens of the factory allows the exhibition to provide a unique contribution to the Decade of Commemorations.  The exhibition also tells more broadly the impact of Jacob’s on social, cultural and political life in Ireland throughout the twentieth century.  It includes an impressive time-line showing the changing faces of Jacob’s biscuit labels throughout the decades, and original artefacts such as a locked recipe books, an ‘Irish Free State’ Biscuit tin, employee welfare booklets,  and a truncheon used during the 1913 Lock-out alongside with a  letter from Trade Union leader Jim Larkin. Visitors will find out about the fascinating history of the Jacobs cream-cracker, who was the marketing genius to develop the concept of Jim Figgerty, and how did major national and international events from 1916 Rising to both World Wars impact the business, customers, and staff.Speaking ahead of the launch, Árdmhéara Mícheál Mac Donncha said “Thousands of Dubliners have a personal connection to Jacob’s whether through family members working there or simply a life-time of enjoying their wonderful selection of familiar products. This colourful exhibition focuses on the history of the factory, the workers, the biscuits it produced and its impact on Irish life in the twentieth century. I encourage everyone to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane & visit this tasty exhibition.  Molaim an taispeántas seo do phobal na cathrach agus cuairteoirí.”Margaret Hayes Dublin City Librarian said “This exhibition is the realisation of a journey made possible by a generous donation of company records from Valeo Foods, the Jacobs brand owner, together with a lifetime of committed collecting by Douglas Appleyard. This material was then professionally transformed by the Dublin City Archive team into an accessible archival legacy rich in story and image. Dublin City Council is proud to fund this exhibition through its Decade of Commemorations fund.”The exhibition will be on display at Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 from Friday 8 September to 28 October 2017. Opening hours are Monday - Thursday 10am-8pm & Friday-Saturday 10am-5pm. Free guided tours are also available every Tuesday morning throughout September & October: Booking required via jacobs-exhib-guided-tour.eventbrite.ieMembers of the public are encouraged to contact Dublin City Library and Archives (DCLA) @dclareadingroom using #jacobsassorted if they have Jacob’s memorabilia which they would like to add to the archive or to share their favourite labels or memories of Jacob’s.In particular DCLA are gathering stories of the after-life of Jacob’s biscuit tins. What did you keep in the tin or box, once all the biscuits were eaten?  For example that spare parts for the first Aer Lingus plane Iolar were carried in a Jacob’s tin!See Also: The Changing Face of Jacob's Biscuits Image Gallery.Further information: [email protected]; 01 674 4997/4848About the Jacob ArchivesThe archives of W & R Jacob and Company were acquired by Dublin City Library and Archive in 2012.  Comprising both the business archives donated by Valeo Foods and the Appleyard Collection donated by Douglas Appleyard, the 330 boxes contain a wide range of corporate records, relating to over 150 years of biscuit making in Dublin.This archive represents a rich and significant contribution to the study of business and commercial life in Dublin in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It also offers valuable information about life in the community of over three thousand Dublin workers, mostly women, who were engaged at any given time during most ofthe company’s manufacturing period. Following a major cataloguing and preservation project, the collection was opened for public access in the Reading Room of Dublin City Library and Archive in 2016.History of the companyThe Company’s Dublin connections originated on 29th June 1851, when it rented premises at 5 and 6 Peters Row, Dublin, on the corner of Bishop street. This building occupies a unique position in Irish history as it was seized and occupied by Irish Volunteers during Easter week 1916, as part of the armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland. In 1975, W & R Jacob’s manufacturing operations moved to a new purpose built factory in the Dublin suburb of Tallaght, where it remained until the factory closed in 2009.  The Jacobs brand lives on today in Ireland via Valeo Foods. 

Warmest congratulations to Kathleen Clifford, a member of Kevin Street Library creative writing group whose book 'Back of the Hack: Growing up in the Liberties' was recently published by A. Farmar.

Anne Kennedy was a notable poet, writer, and photographer. She was born Anne Spaulding on 19 March 1935 in Los Angeles, California to Beatrice Clarke and Easton Spaulding. She attended the prestigious Marlborough School in Beverley Hills as Anne Hoag after her mother’s marriage to her second husband, Hallack Hoag.

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. 

Listen back to a series of three talks on the topic of Dublin and the Great War hosted by Near FM in Coolock Library this April. The talks looked at a range of subjects including women in war time, anti-war agitation, the influence of the Russian Revolution and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and includes songs from the era performed by An Góilín Singers.In the first talk, Near FM's Ciarán Murrary talks to Pádraig Yeates about the influence of the Russian Revolution and to John Dorney about anti-war agitation in Dublin, socialists, pacifists and republicans. Fergus Russell from An Góilín sings songs from the era. Recorded at Coolock Library on 5 April 2017.In the second talk, Fionnuala Walsh, Niamh Murray and Ciarán discuss the Irish Suffragette movement and the Great War and women at work during the Great War. Máire Ni Chróinín from An Góilín sings songs from the era. Recorded at Coolock Library on 12 April 2017.In the final talk, Ciarán is joined by Jennifer Wellington and Tom Burke to discuss how the Great War is remembered and the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.  Luke Cheevers, Fergus Russell and Frank Nugent from An Góilín singers perform songs from the era. Recorded at Coolock Library on 19 April 2017.Thanks to Near FM for their kind permission to feature these talks on our website. You can find lots more interesting documentaries at nearfm.ie.Presented by Ciaran Murray. Produced by Donie Tarrant at Near FM. Edited by David Cullen at Near FM.This project is supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. 

This photo gallery tells the history of social housing in Inchicore which is a suburb of Dublin, 5km west of the city centre. It traces the history of the area from tenements and one of Dublin Corporation’s first social housing schemes to the conversion of Richmond Barracks to Keogh Square then St Michael’s Estate and beyond.

uTalk is a new and innovative way to learn a language online and is available to members of Dublin City Libraries.