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In the run-up to the referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment in May 2018, a mural appeared near the George Bernard Shaw pub in Portobello, Dublin. The mural by Aches graffiti artists depicted Savita Halappanavar who died in Galway University Hospital in October 2012 following a septic miscarriage. Dublin City Library and Archive photographed some of the messages that were left at the Memorial Wall so that a record of these transient notes might be preserved for future scholars and historians on what was a transformative event in Irish social history.

Doing their bit: Irish women and the First World War is a new exhibition in Dublin City Library and Archive in Pearse Street. The exhibition centres on the impact that the First World War had on the lives of Irish women and the new opportunities that opened up for them.

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. 

A long, long alphabetical list of 174,000 Allied soldiers who died on Belgian soil in the First World War; this is the new and emotive exhibit on display in Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street until the end of March 2017.

You can now borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks from Dublin City Public Libraries. Reserve or borrow up to 5 eAudiobooks and 5 eBooks at a time. Visit library.bolindadigital.com/dublin and sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny today launched the 1916 Rising commemorative programmes of 31 local authorities, including Dublin City Council’s comprehensive programme to remember this pivotal event in Dublin’s and Ireland’s history.An Taoiseach said: "I know that these 31 County Plans for Ireland 2016 represent the outcome of many hundreds of hours of reflection, consultation and discussion involving thousands of people all over Ireland".View the “Remembering 1916” video for an overview of the programme for 2016. Dublin Remembers 1916 from Dublin City Public Libraries on Vimeo.See Also:DCC Press Release.Government Press Release.DCC Decade of Commemorations.Libraries & Archive Commemorative Projects.

The Decade of Centenaries Award was established by Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) in order to engage with custodians and assist in the long term digital preservation of valuable digital material relating to the 1912-1922 period in Irish History.On Thursday 25 June 2015, it was announced that the Dublin City Electoral Lists for the period 1915, recently digitised by Dublin City Library and Archive, was one of three award winning collections.Right: Ellen Murphy (Dublin City Library and Archive) and  Dr. Eucharia Meehan (Irish Research Council)The original Dublin City Electoral Lists (1898-1915) are in printed format and are held at Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. The Electoral Lists were maintained by Dublin City Council (then Dublin Corporation) on an annual basis in the Town Clerk's Department at City Hall. The two officials who carried out this work during this period were Stephen J. Hand, a general office assistant who was responsible for all matters relating to the franchise list, and James J. Henry, assistant to the Town Clerk, to whom Hand reported. Each Electoral List was printed and bound by Cahill & Co., Great Charles Street, Dublin; the Electoral List was then issued on 31st December and was valid for the following calendar year.View slideshow below:There are approximately 47,000 registered voters each year, which co-relates to almost one-fifth of the population of Dublin at the time and the electoral lists have huge potential to be used for local, social and genealogical research. However as the original classification scheme of the bound volumes was devised to suit the administration of elections, it is impossible to find a particular voter unless their address is known.To address this issue, Dublin City Council has undertaken a project to digitize the electoral lists 1898-1915 as part of the City Council's activities during the Decade of Commemorations. To date, the Dublin City Electoral Lists for 1908-1915 have been digitised and a fully searchable database with over 400,000 records has been made freely available online. The project is directed by Dublin City Archivist Dr. Mary Clark. Scanning of Dublin City Electoral Lists is by Informa Ireland; OCR and production of database by John Grenham.As recipients of the Decade of Centenaries award, Dublin City Library and Archive was provided with best practice guidance and digital preservation services by digital archivists from the DRI.  The 1915 Electoral Rolls & associated database was prepared for ingestion into the DRI and is now displayed at repository.dri.ie alongside the other award winning collections from National Irish Visual Arts Library and the Irish Capuchin Provincial Archives.The Decade of Centenaries award was funded by the Irish Research Council through their New Foundations Programme and the presentation to award winners was made by theDirector of the Irish Research Council, Dr Eucharia Meehan, during the Digital Preservation for the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities  Conference in Croke Park, 25 June 2015.

Dublin City Council’s Public Library Service organised a preview of a rare eye-witness account of the outbreak of the 1916 Easter Rising at The Mansion House, Dawson Street today (Wednesday, 27th May 2015).The letter was written by Elsie McDermid, a popular opera singer of the era. 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.

As well as developing typing skills, TTRS is designed to benefit students of all ages who experience spelling, reading or writing difficulties. Students with dyslexia or literacy issues have found it helpful.

First steps in genealogyStep 1Where do you start?Start at home with your own family. Check the correct names, dates of birth, marriage and death of your parents and grandparents, and make out a record card for each one. List also the brothers and sisters of each parent or grandparent, as far as you can. This information can be obtained by asking your family members - parents, aunt, uncles, grandparents etc. Your record of these two generations should also include information on places - where they were born, lived, married, worked, died and were buried.Step 2Go to your local Public Library.Check on the origin of your family’s surnames and read some of the recommended basic guides to tracing family history prior to visiting major reference libraries or archival repositories. Check the library catalogue for relevant material in Dublin City Public Libraries.Step 3Verify the information in Step 1 from official sources and family records.Check details on headstones in graveyards, particularly for dates of birth and deaths, but also for any other relevant information. Go to the Dublin City Library and Archive to check civil registration indexes. Go to the General Register Office with the verified details of names, places and dates and get copies of any birth, marriage or death certificates.Step 4Check all information obtained so far.Look especially for details about members of the family not listed in your initial list of parents and grandparents and their generations.List great-grandparents and other relatives as revealed in these documents, noting especially any information on dates and places. This might also be a good time to make use of the many websites that deal with genealogy.Step 5Check Dublin Street Directories and Griffith's Valuation in the Dublin City Library and Archive. The Census Records for 1901 and 1911 in Dublin and the Tithe Applotment Books can also be consulted here. For countrywide records visit The National Archives to verify facts about places and dates discovered so far. If you are outside Dublin, contact your local public library for relevant directories and other information.Make copies of relevant documents or copy down the information as it relates to each person in each place.Step 6Having obtained records from the General Register Office check parish registers, which record baptisms, marriages and funerals. Roman Catholic Parish registers can be consulted on microfilm in the National Library of Ireland.Step 7Check other sources.Check with the Registry of Deeds for wills, property transfers, marriage licences etc.Check newspapers for announcements of births, marriages and deaths, funerals or obituaries.Check school, military and professional records.Step 8Remember that your ancestors may have been born, married or may have died outside of Ireland. Seek the advice of your local librarian if you don't know where to go to next.