Remembering the First World War
Published on 6th August 2014
The first shots of what became known as the First World War were fired on 28th July 1914. Over the next four years of war over 200,000 Irish men served in the British Army. Dublin City Public Libraries & Archive will be marking the Great War and Dubliners’ role in it, drawing on our extensive collections with a series of events and exhibitions, reading lists and digitisation projects.
Current and upcoming events and exhibitions
- Exhibition: Ringsend seamen in the Great War: 70 faces from 1918 - Cabra Library during the month of September
- March Away My Brothers: Irish Soldiers and their Music in the Great War - Rathmines Library on Monday 25th August at 6pm, and the Central Library on Thursday 28th August at 1pm
- Stories from the Great War: the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive - Walkinstown Library on Monday 25th August 7pm
- Heritage Seminar focusing on the First World War at Sea - Dublin City Library & Archive on Friday 29th August 2-4pm
Dublin Festival of History
The annual Dublin Festival of History which runs from 26th September to 8th October will feature talks and exhibitions on the First World War.
Digitisation Projects
Our first project is the online publication of the unique Monica Roberts Collection, which is held at Dublin City Library & Archive. Each item in the collection is now available to view online in the fully-searchable Monica Roberts Collection Database.
The Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive and the Monica Roberts Collection form just part of our extensive material relating to the First World War. We are adding to this collection, and this year Dublin City Archives have received significant donations to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive.
A number of events and exhibitions drawn from these collections will be staged from 2014 on. Check Dublin City Public Libraries' Events Calendar for details of current events and exhibitions.
- Stories from the Great War: An exhibition at Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street, featuring material from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Archive, the Monica Roberts Collection, and other collections - October-December 2014.
- Dublin and the First World War: A programme of lectures in the Autumn City Hall Lunch-time Lecture series - October 2014.
- Letters from the Great War: A travelling exhibition of material from the Monica Roberts Collection - end 2014.
- Stories from Gallipoli: An exhibition at Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street, drawn from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Archive and other collections - March-May 2015.
See Also
Remembering Irish Men and Women who served in the First World War