Dublin City Libraries will be closed from Saturday 3 to Monday 5 May 2025 (inclusive). Our online services will continue as usual. We will reopen on Tuesday, 6 May.
John MacDonagh, was a junior officer with the Volunteers during the 1916 Rising. He fought alongside his brother, Thomas MacDonagh, at the Jacob’s Biscuit Factory. The John MacDonagh collection contains a small amount of material related to MacDonagh’s republican credentials, most notably an eight page, hand-written letter dated 30 August 1916, to the London Aid Committee, describing conditions for Irish prisoners-of war in the Frongoch internment camp and signed simply “Henry”. While his role in the Rising might have been overshadowed by that of his brother, John MacDonagh’s role in shaping the artistic and cultural life of post-independence Ireland makes his story as worthy to tell as any other, and his name as important to remember.
The 18th annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lecture, 'Dublin as a global city: through time and space', is now available for purchase in book form. The lecture was given by Kevin Whelan (in photo), Director, Keough-Naughton Institute, Notre Dame Centre in Dublin at the Dublin City Library & Archive on Thursday 22 January 2015.The book was launched on Thursday, 21st January, on the occasion of the 19th such lecture at the Dublin City Library & Archive in Pearse Street. Price is €8 and details are available on how to purchase.
David Bowie was The Future. His first solo album 'Space Oddity' was released at the peak of The Space Race between the US and the USSR in 1969. It portrays the plight of an astronaut alienated from his planet and family. This could have been influenced by the Kubrick film '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
On Wednesday, 27th May 2015, Dublin City Council's Public Library Service took possession of a copy of a rare eye-witness account of the outbreak of the 1916 Easter Rising. The account was in the form of a letter written by Elsie McDermid (seen on the right), a popular opera singer of the era, to her mother in England on the occasion of Elsie's visit to Dublin. She was in Dublin to perform in Gilbert and Sullivan shows at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. However, the performances were cancelled as a result of the dramatic outbreak of the Easter Rising on Monday 24th April 1916.
On this day (6th January) in 1931 the death took place of Dublin-born stained glass artist and illustrator Harry Clarke, aged 41. While considered one of Ireland’s greatest stained glass artists, he also illustrated a number of books for both children and adults in his characteristic, highly stylized manner. Indeed a fine collection of books illustrated by him is held in the Dublin City Libraries' Special Collections. ! Above (left): Death Notice, Irish Independent, Friday, 9th January, 1931. (right): Extract, Irish Independent, 8th January 1931 (click to view larger version)In 1886 his father, Joshua Clarke, founded the J. Clarke and Sons Glass Studios and a church furnishing business. The Glass Studios were based at 33 North Frederick Street. After his death in 1921, the businesses were taken over by Harry and his brother Walter. After Walter's death, the studio became the Harry Clarke Glass Studios, and continued to operate even after Harry's death, producing an estimated 1000 windows and finally closing in 1973. Right: J. Clarke and Sons, Glass Studios, Advertisement. Source: The Belvederian, 1922, Periodical Collection, Dublin City Library and Archive (click to view larger image)Harry Clarke was born on 17th March, 1889, and lived at 48 North Circular Road with his wife (Margaret Crilley) and three children. He went to school in Belvedere College, and studied stained-glass at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. He is buried in Chur (or Coire) in Switzerland where he died.Left: Perrault, Charles. The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault. Illustrated by Harry Clarke. London, G. Harrap and Company, 1922 (click to view larger image)The collection of Perrault’s Fairy Tales is of particular interest because of its fine illustrations by Harry Clarke. In the Introduction to this volume, Thomas Bodkin commends the illustrations for the way they complement the spirit of the text and their "grace, delicacy, urbanity, tenderness and humour."A book, 'Harry Clarke’s War: Illustrations for Ireland's Memorial Records, 1914-1918' by Marguerite Helmers (Rosebush Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh) was published by the Irish Academic Press in September 2015.Did you know...?An original stained glass artwork by Harry Clarke, which outraged the Irish Government in 1930, went on public display on the 11th March 2015 at Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. The work, seen on the left (click to view larger image), depicts a scene from Liam O’Flaherty's controversial novel 'Mr Gilhooley' and was created by Harry Clarke as a section of his Panel No. 6 for the Geneva Window. It was commissioned by the Irish Government for the League of Nations building in Geneva , the UN's forerunner, in the late 1920's. Clarke chose scenes of novels by contemporary Irish writers as his themes for the window.The Geneva Window was never displayed at its intended home in the Labour Court in Geneva as it was deemed to be unsuitable by the Government of the day. Instead it was installed in Government Buildings, Merrion Square. Read more about the Geneva Window...The original 'Mr Gilhooley' section is on permanent display at the Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. View the Harry Clarke online collection, also courtesy of the Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane.Did you also know...?Harry and his brother Walter were both born on St Patrick's Day (17th March) - Walter in 1887 and Harry in 1889. Walter died on the 20th July, 1930, of pneumonia, and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.
The Mansion House Dublin, 300 Years of History and Hospitality
A year–long series of events to mark the tercentenary of Dublin’s Mansion House culminated on 14 December 2015 with the launch of a beautiful book The Mansion House, Dublin 300 years of History and Hospitality edited by City archivist Dr Mary Clark.
The 'Dublin: A Great Place to Start' digital storytelling project celebrates some of the new beginnings that happen every day in Dublin 1 where plans are being developed for the City Library at Parnell Square Cultural Quarter.Dublin City Public Libraries are delighted to have the opportunity to develop a new and innovative City Library at this historic Georgian Square. The new City Library and the existing spectacular Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane will be connected by a civic plaza, creating a new intercultural district for Dublin. The new City Library will bring 21st century services to children and families, learners and researchers, readers and writers, workers and businesses with a space to learn, create and participate. It will celebrate the stories of Dublin through a new Storyhouse, showcasing Dublin's place as a UNESCO City of Literature, a place for writers and readers.View the introductory video below:Browse all the ‘Dublin: A Great Place to Start’ video stories.This storytelling project was conceived to contribute to the plans for a new City Library. 'Dublin: A Great Place to Start' brings together stories of new starts in the city, celebrating the diversity and excitement of Dublin.Participants from Ireland, Brazil, Somalia, Italy, Moldova and South Africa, working with our storytelling team, have created a unique collection of 11 short films.The stories capture a fascinating range of first-time experiences in the City – stories of new life, new neighbours and new opportunities. Stories move from Nelson's Pillar, to Moore Street, the Ha'penny Bridge in the rain, the dancehalls of Parnell Square, to Summerhill and North Great George's Street, with tales from the past and the present.Gheorghe tells of bringing water colours to Ireland from his native Moldova and capturing the beauty of the city in paint, even on a rainy day! Kay tells of her mother’s experiences moving to Dublin in the 1940s, bringing to life for us a city of dancehalls and theatre. Abdi Shakuur reminds us of the importance of sport in creating community spirit and lasting friendships and Jane gives us an insight into inner city life on North Great George’s Street.Visit Parnell Square Cultural Quarter to browse ‘Dublin: A Great Place to Start’ stories, to see the vision for the City Library and the Cultural Quarter and to read updates on the project as it progresses.
This image gallery shows a selection from the photographs and slides of the amateur photographer, William Stafford. He took most of these pictures during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The collection contains a great variety of images, from the imposing form of Queen Victoria in the days after she was moved from her plinth outside Leinster House, to the derelict courts and alleys of the mid-20th century city. There are images here of Nelson’s Pillar just after the explosion of March 1966, the old Queen's Theatre, of flower sellers and fishmongers and street urchins. Many of the places he photographed, such as Hospital Lane in Islandbridge, have now disappeared or have changed beyond recognition. There are also images of the family business; the Stafford brothers started out importing coal and salt to their works on Ormond Quay, eventually concentrating on salt importation and packaging.The Stafford Collection material was retrieved by Jeremy Wales of the City Architects Division, and Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer, Dublin City Council, during clearance works to facilitate the development of the ‘Dublin House’ project at 29-30 Fishamble Street, the former home of William Stafford. Now held in Dublin City Library and Archive, it includes postcards, business and family papers and a large collection of religious ephemera. The siblings Angela and William appear to have been very religious, and one of their sisters, Cissie, became a Carmelite nun. One of the most interesting parts of the collection is the photographic element. On retrieval, the slides and prints had been left for years in unsuitable conditions, and were in very poor condition. Apart from a little work on the colour slides, we have not done any restoration work on the images as yet, so the viewer will get a real sense of the years that this material lay neglected in the dark and damp house in Fishamble Street.The main reason for publishing this gallery is to bring the images captured by William Stafford back into the light. We also hope that it will be seen by members of the extended Stafford family and that they will get back to us with more information on the fortunes of the family and especially on William, our photographer. Finally we are anxious to establish whether anyone has a claim to the material, and whether it can be made freely available to the people of Dublin, as we feel William Stafford would have liked.View the Stafford Image Gallery.
Frank Douglas and George Cecil Gunning were just two of the thousands of Irish soldiers who fought in the British Army during World War 1. The full horror of what they experienced and witnessed is captured in their diary, which is held in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive at Dublin City Library and Archive. The article below by Phoebe Sherman reflects on the importance and impact of such eye-witness accounts:Historical archives such as their diary tell and remember history in a different way than books and secondary texts do. These tell stories, and emotions. These turn the often repeated facts of textbooks into the stories that our own family members might have lived and died.:The Diary of the Gunning Brothers of Company “D”Known as Frank and Cecil, Frank Douglas Gunning and George Cecil Gunning came from a family of five children. The Gunning family hailed from Enniskillen and both Frank and Cecil attended the Portora Royal School nearby.After graduating school, both boys went to work as bankers. Frank began to work for the Bank of Ireland in Sligo and Cecil was employed by the Belfast Savings Bank in Pettigoe, Co. Donegal. At the outbreak of World War I, thousands of young men across Ireland enlisted, and Cecil and Frank were no exception.With the permission of the bank to take leave of his job enlist Cecil went to Dublin to offer his services. Frank had also applied to the bank where he worked for permission to enlist but his application was refused. Not willing to be left behind, or risking the possibility to be put in a different company than his brother, Frank left anyway. As Cecil recorded in their diary:He [Douglas] took the law into his own hands and walked out of the Bank. He cycled from Sligo to Enniskillen and caught the train to Dublin. Needless to say the Bank people were very annoyed.1Above: Frank Douglas and George Cecil GunningThe brothers enlisted into ‘D’ Company, 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers in September 1914. Their diary begins on 10 July, 1915, when they set sail for the Dardanelles. This first part of their diary is tinged with excitement and colourful details of all the places they stopped along the way to Gallipoli. On the 26 July, 1915 Cecil wrote:A terrible mania for stealing clothing and towels especially has developed on the boat. Several times we have had stuff stolen and in two cases it was towels, so to-day Douglas got another towel bagged on him so he bagged another one to make up for it, and when I was bathing I hid my towel under a stairway for safety, and I was fairly raging when I came out and found it gone. When I had cooled down I reported the matter [ ] Douglas, but sympathising with me he went into fits of laughter. The reason was this. The towel that he took so much trouble to bag was the one I had taken so much trouble to hide.2Stories like these are wonderful because they not only give an insight to the life aboard a Military transport ship that tell more than the everyday duties and parades, but also show a very human and very real side to these young soldiers.Frank describes in great detail, the experience of landing at Suvla Bay. He writes about how immediate the violence was, and about seeing the deck stained with red. Frank and Cecil tried to stick together as long as they could but eventually chose to separate;Suddenly, without any warning, a firing shell came down with an awful thud not five yards in front. The three of us were covered with clay and sand but not a [ ] bullet got any of us. Cecil leaned over and shouted “you hit, Frank?”, and I said “No, are you?”, as I brushed the sand out of my eyes and clothes …“Well,” says Cecil to me “There’s no use us being hit together, so we’ll separate and you go to the right and I’ll go to the left.”3Days later, upon advancing on the beach, the brothers were able to find each other again. Frank and Cecil made sure to check on each other in the trenches as much as they could4. At this point, any romantic notions of war had long worn off. About a horrific day in August, when “D” Company suffered extreme losses, Frank wrote:That evening Cecil and I were sharing the same dugout, and we sat there looking at the sun sinking in the west, and thinking of Home, sweet, home. We did feel miserable thinking of the heavy losses and our pals, who were missing,”5Above: D Company, 7th RDF, in trenches at Chocolate Hill in Henry Hanna, The Pals at Suvla Bay (Dublin 1916)Frank contracted dysentery in Gallipoli and in August, 1915, it had gotten so bad that Cecil encouraged him to see a doctor6. Frank was sent to a hospital in Lemnos with the expectation that he would be able to rejoin his company soon.After the battle of the ridge, an officer came to “D” Company and had everyone all stand in an inspection-like fashion. Cecil wrote that a staff officer said that any man who wished a commission should step forward. He goes on to say:I was very sorely tempted to step forward also because I was heartily sick of roughing it in the ranks— carrying on with a little bit of comfort as an officer would be very welcome. Then I remembered Frank. I thought he was still in a Field Hospital on the peninsula and if when he got better and returned to the company it would be a terrible let down for him to find that I had left him after all our adventures together back at home and abroad.Frank however never rejoined the 7th Battalion RDF. When he recovered from dysentery, he was transferred into the 6th Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and the Western Front.By the end of October 1915, Cecil also came down with a serious bout of dysentery. The first medical officer he saw gave Cecil the treatment of ‘M and D’; i.e. medicine and duty. This officer had a reputation of being hard on the men. When his dysentery only worsened, a kinder medical officer realized how sick Cecil was and gave the orders for him to get help at a hospital.After a near-death trip on the back of a wagon, he was brought by an ambulance to Salonika and officially diagnosed with severe cases of jaundice and dysentery. He was boarded on the hospital ship The Grantully Castle which set sail for Alexandria, Egypt. He never saw “D” Company of the 7th Battalion RDF again.Above: Alexandria Hospital Staff, November 1916 (click to view larger image)The hospital in Alexandria was set up in what had been a Convent. In early 1916 he was deemed well enough to be sent to Alexandria to work in a Details Camp but soon the dysentery returned and he was sent back to the hospital, where he stayed as a working patient7. Cecil continued to work in the hospital for the next year.In May, Cecil received the heartbreaking news that his father had died. Only a few months later, Cecil’s sorrow worsened. Frank was killed on the 1st of July at the Battle of the Somme.Above: Telegraph confirming the Gunning family of death of Frank at Battle of the SommeFrank’s death devastated Cecil. After all, they had been together since boyhood, playing together, enlisting together, almost dying together, and Cecil had even given up a commission so that he could stay close to Frank. Cecil was refused compassionate leave.By 1917, Cecil’s health was doing much better. Though still in the hospital, he was well enough to take a sightseeing trip around Egypt, and had moved on to solid food. Above: Cecil at Cario, August 1916Cecile applied and was accepted into the Royal Flying Corps at Cairo in January 19188. Before he had completed his training, the Armistice had been signed and war finally over. Cecil described the scene in Cairo:“We made straight for the town to see the rejoicing. The city was packed with civilians and troops of all nationalities.”9Cecil left Egypt at the end of February 1919 on a ship heading for Italy and finally reached Southampton on St. Patrick’s Day, 1919.Right: George Cecil Gunning, March 1916 (click to view larger image)Cecil soon took up work again in Belfast, at the Belfast Savings Bank. He lived in Belfast until the early 1920’s. He joined the Royal Belfast Yacht Club where he met Muriel McKinney, his future wife. They were married in 1930 at the Windsor Presbyterian Church, Lisburn Road, Belfast.10Though the Gunning brothers’ story is special and unique to them, one can use it as a way to learn about the experiences of all soldiers who fought in the war. One can imagine just how many friends and brothers enlisted together, like Frank and Cecil, promising to fight together and come home together, to regale their friends and family with tales of their great adventures at war. One too can imagine just how many soldiers, like Frank and Cecil never got to tell their story together. Historical material like the Gunning’s diary is important because it works to bring the stories of these soldiers and others like them to life, so that their stories can—and will—be told.Further InformationThe Gunning Brothers' Collection is available online at Digital Repository Ireland.RDFA/ 018 Gunning Brothers Collection can be viewed in the Reading Room of Dublin City Library and Archive.Footnotes1. IE DCLA/RDFA/018/1/3 ‘Gallipoli Memories’ . Unpublished Diary by Frank Douglas and George Cecil Gunning, (1915-1916)2. Ibid.3. Ibid.4. Ibid.5. Ibid.6. Tom Burke. “George Cecil Gunning. ‘D’ Company, 7th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Flying Corps” 26 May, 2000.7. Tom Burke. “George Cecil Gunning. ‘D’ Company, 7th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Flying Corps” 26 May, 2000.8. Ibid.9. Frank Douglas Gunning and George Cecil Gunning, handwritten diary, The Gunning Brothers Collection, Dublin City Archives Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive, Dublin City Archive, 2000.10. Ibid.
