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.
Short Back & Sides: Dublin's Barbers and Hairdressers
This gallery celebrates Dublin's Barbers, Hairdressers, Hair Stylists and 'Artists in Male Hair'. Dubliners have always been a fashion conscious crew and we hope these images bring back happy (or maybe not so happy) memories of perms, continental styles, beehives, quiffs, and mullets.
For as long as there have been sporting contests, there have been men willing to make wagers upon them. The 'Turf Accountant' or 'Bookie' is as familiar a feature of Dublin City as pubs and churches. This gallery depicts some of the places where Dubliners put their money down and wished for good fortune.
‘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.
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.
Travellers: Images of Labre Park, Ballyfermot, 1968 and 1969
Labre Park was the first site built specifically for Travellers by a Local Authority in Ireland. It was opened in September 1967 at a cost of £50,000 and consisted of 39 concrete 'tigíns' in a row off Kylemore Road. Each 'tigín' was composed of a living room with a stove, a lavatory, and a place to wash. Residents of Labre Park slept in their caravans which were parked beside or behind each 'tigín'. Rents at Labre Park ranged from ten to thirty shillings per week.
The Civil War In Dublin: Images from Irish Life (July 1922)
On 28 June 1922 the forces of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State, led by Michael Collins, attacked the Anti-Treaty garrison at the Four Courts. This action is generally believed to mark the beginning of the Irish Civil War. The images in this gallery are taken from a special supplement to the Irish Life newspaper that was published on 14 July 1922 entitled 'Ireland's Tragic Week'. Each photograph was accompanied by a short text.
'Aisy, aisy, mind the chisler’. Brendan Behan, The Confirmation Suit (1953). This gallery consists of images of children going about their business in Dublin from the second half of the twentieth century up to the present day.
'The Jacks Are Back' image gallery celebrates the greatest sports team this city has produced. Up da Dubs! These images were taken from the Dublin City Council Photographic Collection and The Reading Room's extensive collection of GAA match programmes. The images taken from contemporary programmes featured in this gallery are copyright of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael/Gaelic Athletic Association.
