History on Your Doorstep Volume 4
Published on 30th March 2022
This fourth volume in the very popular History on your Doorstep series returns to the approach taken in the first two books, in which the Historians in Residence contributed short pieces about the history, locations and people they had encountered in their work in the different areas administered by Dublin City Council. This year they are joined by the Historian-in-Residence for Children.
The five chapters in this volume focus on different aspects of the city’s history but they are united by the determination of the authors to continue catering for the enthusiasm and engagement of so many Dubliners with the story of the city’s evolution, especially in the context of the revolutionary years that shaped Ireland. The response to the innovative role of Historian in Residence for Children demonstrates that this interest can commence at an early age.
The five chapters cover such diverse topics as the colourful life and career of football player and manager extraordinaire, Patrick O’Connell; the history of the Incorporated Orthopaedic Hospital of Ireland; a look at some of the war memorials in the city and how they reflect changing attitudes to national and international conflict; and the history of the weaving industry, once so important to Dublin and now the subject of vital work by local people in Dublin to restore the artistry and skills involved. The chapter by the Children’s Historian in Residence covers her first year in the post and
what she has learned from her young associates.
About the Authors
James Curry received his PhD in History & Digital Humanities from NUI Galway in 2017, having previously graduated with BA and MPhil history degrees from Trinity College Dublin. He is the creator of a “History of Dublin” channel on YouTube and has published widely on twentieth century Irish history, including a book about Dublin radical cartoonist Ernest Kavanagh. James is a former committee member of the Irish Labour History Society and is the Historian in Residence for the North West area of Dublin City.
Cormac Moore has a PhD in History from De Montfort University in Leicester and an MA in Modern Irish History from UCD. He is Historian in Residence for Dublin North Central and is author of Birth of the Border: The Impact of Partition in Ireland, The Irish Soccer Split, and The GAA V Douglas Hyde: The Removal of Ireland’s First President as GAA Patron.
Mary Muldowney holds a PhD in History from Trinity College Dublin and a postgraduate qualification in Adult Continuing Education and Training from theNational University of Ireland at Maynooth. She is the Historian in Residence for the Dublin Central area. Mary is the author of books and journal articles, often based on oral history interviews and she has a particular interest in labour and women’s history. She is a member of the Grangegorman Histories Working Group and the organising committee of the Irish Labour History Society and she was a founding member of the Oral History Network of Ireland. She is a frequent consultant on other history projects.
Dervilia Roche has been working in heritage and public history for over fifteen years. She has a BA in History of Art and Architecture and Music from Trinity College Dublin, and an MSc in Tourism Management from Dublin Institute of Technology. She has undertaken and published research on how children engage with heritage sites, and has worked across the city in education roles at historic sites and museums. She was appointed as Dublin’s first Historian-in-Residence for Children, as part of Dublin City Council Culture Company’s Creative Residency programme. The Historian-in-Residence for Children Residency @ Richmond Barracks is a partnership with Dublin City Council Culture Company and Dublin City Libraries.
Catherine (Cathy) Scuffil, MA, BBS Hons Dublin born and reared, Cathy’s interest in local history was formed at an early age encouraged by parents who also shared a love of Dublin. She was honorary secretary/founder member of the Dolphin’s Barn Historical Society (1986) compiling and editing their publication By the Sign of the Dolphin (1993) In addition to an honours Business and Management degree, Cathy also holds both a Certificate and a Masters in Local History from NUI Maynooth. Her master’s thesis research was published by Four Courts Press as The South Circular Road Dublin on the Eve of the First World War and an abridged version awarded the silver medal by the Old Dublin Society (2018). Cathy was actively involved in a wide range of community events during the 1916 Rising centenary commemorations, researching the Rialto/Kilmainham 1916 Commemoration photographic exhibition and publication 1916 in the South Dublin Union for St. James’s Hospital. Cathy is currently working as Historian in Residence with Dublin City Council for the South Central and South East Areas and is consultant historian for other projects.