The Natural Sciences in Print: Botany, Agriculture and Horticulture
The natural sciences formed an important branch of science from the earliest times. Growing plants and crops to feed the population and for healing the sick were essential pursuits. Development of new crops or improving the yields of existing crops resulted from experimentation and the publication of research results.
‘We got the whiff of ray and chips and Mary softly sighed, Arah John come on for ‘one and one’, Down by the Liffeyside’. Like many major cities, Dublin has a strong association with food. From Molly Malone's 'cockles and mussels' to coddle - surely Dublin's signature dish - to the perennial Friday treat of 'one and one' (or fish and chips). This gallery celebrates some of the city's eatin' houses. We hope the chippers, cafes, and restaurants included here will bring back some happy memories.
Best selling American crime writer Patricia Cornwell is in Dublin today, here to take part in one of the opening events of the Bram Stoker Festival, happening this weekend. The event, The Anatomy of Fear - From Stoker to Scarpetta with Patricia Cornwell, takes place in Trinity College, and the author will be introduced by the state pathologist, Dr. Marie Cassidy! Very appropriate given the subject matter and the significant role forensic science plays in her Dr. Kay Scarpetta series.Cornwell has sold over 100 million copies of her books worldwide, and wouldn't you know it, you can borrow her books in our branch libraries and read away to your heart's content (check below).Right: Patricia Cornwell in Trinity College, 26th October 2012 (click thumbnail to enlarge)The 20th novel in the Scarpetta series (The Bone Bed) has just been published (25th October in fact), so while not yet on our bookshelves is on order and soon to arrive. In this latest, Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta returns to solve the mysterious disappearance of a palaeontologist.But don't despair, unless you are a Cornwell fanatic and have already read the other nineteen in the series, you have plenty to keep you going in the meantime. So check the links below for availability of the series titles in the library catalogue:Post-mortem (1990)Body of Evidence (1991)All That Remains (1992)Cruel and Unusual (1993)The Body Farm (1994)From Potter's Field (1995)Cause of Death (1996)Unnatural Exposure (1997)Point of Origin (1998)Black Notice (1999)The Last Precinct (2000)Blow Fly (2003)Trace (2004)Predator (2005)Book of the Dead (2007)Scarpetta (2008)The Scarpetta Factor (2009)Port Mortuary (2010)Red Mist (2011)The Bone Bed (2012) (just published, to come)In the following video clip, the bestselling author is talking about her 18th Kay Scarpetta thriller, 'Port Mortuary'.Visit the Patricia Cornwell website.
The images show familiar Dublin scenes from within our collective living memory with a present day update. It is hoped that these images will resonate with people and trigger memories and conversations among the Diaspora prompting them to return to experience the new re-vitalised Dublin of the twenty-first century.
Eyewitness 1916: Images From 'Dublin After The Six Days' Insurrection'
This image gallery is composed of images taken from Dublin After The Six Days’ Insurrection (Dublin: Mecredy, Percy & Co., Ltd, 1916). The photos were taken by T.W. Murphy (also known as “The O’Tatur”), the sub-editor of The Motor News. The images are reproduced by kind permission of the estate of T.W. Murphy.
Sophia ‘Rosamond’ Praeger was a Northern Irish artist, specialising in both sculpture and in illustrations. She was born in Holywood, Co. Down in 1867 to Maria Ferrar Patterson and Willem Emil Praeger, and was the third child of six and the only girl.
This year sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, American folksinger and songwriter. He wrote more than 1000 songs, which were all influenced by his travels, and dealt with such themes as the hardship of the Depression, the "Dust Bowl" drought and the Unions. He is best known for the song "This land is Your Land" and "So long it's been good to know ya". Many of the songs he wrote during his illness were lost as they were not recorded.In 1940, Alan Lomax began recording Guthrie's songs for the American Library of Congress. Around this time, he also met Pete Seeger in New York where Guthrie also performed with other activists, such as Lead Belly. During the 1950s and 1960s he became famous as a folk hero, influencing the younger generation of protest singers, such as, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg and others.He was born on July 14, 1912, and raised in the small town of Okemah, Oklahoma. His father was a businessman and was also involved in local politics. His early life was beset by many tragedies including the death of his sister in a fire which destroyed the family home. His father was financially ruined. His mother suffered from poor health, although, it was not known at the time that she was struggling with the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease for which she was later institutionalised and died.He received little formal education and taught himself to play the guitar. Both his parents were musically inclined and taught Woody a wide range of folk songs. During the 1930s he lived a very nomadic lifestyle, singing and performing his songs on the streets from place to place to eke out an existence. He travelled with migrant workers to California singing and busking along the way. Many of his songs are about his experiences in the Dust Bowl era during Depression times. Guthrie became a successful radio personality in Los Angeles, and began performing at protest meetings and picket lines. Guthrie was married three times and fathered eight children. He died 3rd October 1967 from complications of Huntington's disease which he had inherited from his mother.To celebrate Woody Guthrie Centenary, Billy Bragg and Andy Irvine will be staging a show at Vicar Street, 17th September which will focus on the legacy of Woody Guthrie.The Music Library has many of Woody Guthrie's CDs, Scores and books among its collectionSome Folk (Woody Guthrie)Dust Bowl Ballads (Woody Guthrie)Pastures of Plenty (Woody Guthrie)Struggle (Woody Guthrie)The History of American Folk (featuring Woody Guthrie)Bound for Glory (Woody Guthrie)
This Image Gallery was created to provide a context for The Diary of the Weather and Winds which has now been made available on the web. The original document and a transcript have been placed on-line by Dublin City Libraries as part of its contribution to Dublin’s year as City of Science.
We are so lucky in Dublin to have access to the world’s best music. Music in the churches can be sublime, and visiting companies perform French and Italian music in the city during the season. I notice that many of the wealthy, or aspiring families now engage music masters to teach their children to play the harpsichord or violin, to sing, and to appreciate the finer points of musical composition. I’m sure this can only have a civilizing effect, especially on the young men. The new Music Hall in Fishamble Street has witnessed stunning events. Since its official opening last year this fine building hosts fashionable balls and assemblies. It has a wonderful vaulted roof which gives a great sound quality for musical evenings. It is decorated in the most elegant manner with fluted columns and pilasters and large mirrors to give extra light and to reflect the dancers. For concerts it holds about 600 people.Mr Handel has staged some of his first nights here. They say he’s not as popular in London as he used to be, but he’s still a major star in Dublin. He is staying in Abbey Street near Liffey Street, and you can subscribe to his concerts there. The Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Devonshire, and his family come to the performances, so this attracts the fashionable audience too. At Easter this year his new oratorio, called The Messiah (catalogue record of the Messiah libretto), had its opening in the Music Hall. What a night that was! All the great and the good were there, they say that 700 people were squeezed in, and it was so crowded that you could not spot half the celebrities. I spotted George Faulkner the bookseller there, and I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Dean (Jonathan Swift), but he was obviously too ill to attend. The proceeds of the evening went to the Charitable Infirmary and Mercer’s Hospital, I believe they collected nearly £400. I bought each of the librettos of these works at the time, they only cost a British sixpence each, so they won't break the bank. It’s good to be able to follow the action on the night, and to have the text as a souvenir afterwards, to be re-read quietly at home. As well as The Messiah, I have copies of (The Masque of Acis and Galatea libretto), (Esther libretto), and (L'Allegro libretto).
