Blogs

The Central Library Dublin (Dublin City Libraries) in association with The James Joyce Centre presents this online event in celebration of Bloomsday 2021.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Michelle Read reads the first three stories featured in The Long Gaze Back. Michelle Read, is an actor and voice artist and an advocate of reading aloud for adults. She reads ‘The Purple Jar’ by Maria Edgeworth; ‘Frank's Resolve’ by Charlotte Riddell; ‘Poisson d'Avril’ by Somerville and Ross.Recorded at the LexIcon on 12 April 2018, with thanks to Marian Keyes Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries for making the audio available to us.Maria Edgeworth (1768 – 1849) was a writer of adult and children’s literature. She was the most popular author writing in the early 19th Century, and her writing was also critically acclaimed by the critics of the day. Her most famous novel is Castle Rackrent, and Edgeworth is still the subject of study on academic curricula.Charlotte Riddell (1832-1906) was a prolific writer of novels and short stories, publishing 56 books in a writing career that spanned 44 years. To hear more about Charlotte Riddell, listen back to Recovered Voices, where Lisa Coen, Louise Kennedy and Kathleen McMahon and Sinead Gleeson discuss the forgotten writings of Charlotte Riddell, Norah Hoult and Mary Lavin.Somerville and Ross were cousins and writing partners Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin. Their most famous works are those featuring the Irish RM, but their novel The Real Charlotte is considered their finest piece of writing. To hear more about the interesting Somerville and Ross, listen back to a talk by Martina Devlin.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Jessica Fahy examines the choices made in the portrayal of significant Irish women by leading artists of the day. How a woman is presented in portraiture says a lot about how society views women at that time, and may even still inform our opinions today, while their self-portraits often reveal their identities as the women saw themselves. Learn more about Countess Markievicz, Eva Gore Booth, Maud Gonne, Lady Gregory and Grace Plunkett and Sarah Cecilia Harrison. The latter was the first woman elected to Dublin City Council following a law change which allowed women to run for local elections, winning more votes than all her opponents combined in 1912.Recorded at DLR LexIcon on 23 April 2018, with thanks to Marian Keyes, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Libraries for making this recording available to us.List of artworks mentioned:Countess Markievicz by her husband Casimir Markievicz (1889)Photograph of Countess Markievicz and Casimir MarkieviczThe Arrest by Kathleen Fox. Niland Collection, Sligo County MuseumPainted by Constance Markievicz while in solitary confinement in Holloway Jail. credit Sligoheritage.comEva Gore Both by Countess Markievicz (sketch of Eva) Lissadell House Collection Photograph of Constance and Eva Gore Booth staged to protest the licencing actPortrait of Constance and Eva Gore Booth by Sarah Purser Lissadell House CollectionSarah Purser by Countess MarkieviczMaud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1890) Hugh Lane GalleryMaud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1898) Hugh Lane GalleryMaud Gonne as Eire by Beatrice Elvery Lady Gregory by John Butler YeatsPortrait of Beatrice Elvery by William Orpen (1909)Self portrait by Margaret ClarkeMary and Bridit by Margaret Clarke Portrait of Harry Clarke by Margaret ClarkePortrait of Harry Clarke by Grace PlunkettYoung Ireland, Grace Gifford by William Orpen (1907)John McCormack by Grace GiffordW.B. Yeats by Grace GiffordCountess Markievicz by Grace GiffordShould Men have the Vote by Grace GiffordSelf-portrait by Sarah Cecilia Harrison (1889) The Hugh LaneMr and Mrs Haslam by Sarah Cecilia Harrison The Hugh LaneEvie Hone by Norah McGuinness (1951) Jessica Fahy is a freelance art historian based in Dublin, Ireland. Jessica has been teaching and researching various areas of European art for over 10 years and is passionate about sharing her love for the subject in an engaging and interactive way.She teaches at UCD Adult education and the National Gallery of Ireland. You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from library or your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Nuala O’Connor and Lia Mills read from their short stories ‘Shut your mouth, Hélène’ and ‘The Crossing’ before discussing flash fiction, the historical short story, the tyranny of plot and how editing styles differ on each side of the Atlantic.And because we all love a book recommendation: Nuala’s favourite short story collections are Scary Old Sex by Arlene Heyman and The Boat by Nam Le, and she recommends Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott for writers, especially ones starting out.Nuala O’Connor (aka Nuala Ní Chonchúir) is a writer and poet who has published 14 books, including Miss Emily and Becoming Belle. She has been published in Granta, The Stinging Fly, and Guernica, among many others.Lia Mills writes novels, short stories and essays.  A memoir, In Your Face, describes her experience of mouth cancer treatment in 2006. Her novels include Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016.  Recorded at Tallaght Library on 11 April 2018. Thanks to Mark Ward, South Dublin Library for making the audio available to us.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books. 

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, author Kathleen Hill gives an introduction to the life and work of Maeve Brennan, and how Ranelagh and New York helped inform the themes of exile and loss that run throughout her writing. Maeve Brennan was born in Dublin in 1917. Although she grew up in Ranelagh, her family left Ireland to live in Washington D.C. when Maeve was 17.  Kathleen reads from Brennan's novella The Visitor, and short stories 'Stories of Africa' and 'The Poor Men and Women' both published in Springs of Affection.Introduction by jazz singer, composer and lyricist Emilie Conway who wrote "You Won't Forget Me" - A Celebration of Maeve Brennan in Words & Music.Kathleen Hill contributed an essay about Maeve Brennan to the anthology Nine Irish Lives (Algonquin Press), about nine Irish men and women who left Ireland to live in the United States. She has published two novels, Still Waters in Niger, named a notable book at the New York Times, and Who Occupies This House, an editors’ choice at the New York Times.  Her memoir She Read to Us in the Late Afternoons was published in 2017. She teaches in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College near New York City.  Recorded at Ranelagh Arts Centre on 15 April 2018.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Jessica Fahy explores the fascinating connection between Irish women artists and the advent of modernism in Ireland from the early 20th century to the 1970s. Jessica talks about what Marian Hartigan called "The Quiet Revolution" which was the introduction of modern art to Ireland, almost exclusively by women. Jessica discusses their influences and how they reimagined and interpreted the artists and movements that inspired them.As well as travelling abroad to develop their art, these innovative and generous group of artists, including Mary Swanzy, Manie Jellett and Sarah Purser, encouraged and created exhibition space for their Irish contemporaries.Recorded at DLR LexIcon on 9 April 2018, with thanks to Marian Keyes, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Libraries for making this recording available to us.List of artistic works mentioned in this talk:Sarah Purser by Mary SwanzyEva Gonzalez by ManetHomage to Manet by William Orpen (1909)Maud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1890) Hugh Lane GalleryMaud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1898) Hugh Lane GalleryThe Sad Girl by Sarah Purser (1923) National Gallery of IrelandLandscape with Red Gable by Mary Swanzy (1929) Hugh Lane Gallery Samoan Scene by Mary Swanzy (c. 1923) Crawford GalleryA Clown by Candlelight by Mary SwanzyStill Life Flowers by May GuinnessThe Cathedral by May GuinnessMargaret Clark nee CrillyReflections, China and Japan by William Orpen (1902)The Hugh Lane GalleryDecoration by Manie Jellett  (1923) The National GalleryMadonna and Child by Manie Jellett (1925)The Madonna of Eire by Manie Jellett The Four Green Fields by Evie HoneThe Girl in White by Grace Henry (1912) The Hugh LaneThe Rosary by Grace Henry (19) Spanish Shawl by Louis le Brocquy (1941) Friday Fair by Nano ReidSecret Pool by Nano ReidBy the Seafront by Norah McGuinnessWaves by Ann MaddenThe Sails at the Carroll Company by Gerda FrommelWhere Eagles fly by Gretta O'Brien, Crawford GalleryThe City by Greta O'Brien, Crawford Gallery Jessica Fahy is a freelance art historian based in Dublin, Ireland. Jessica has been teaching and researching various areas of European art for over 10 years and is passionate about sharing her love for the subject in an engaging and interactive way.She teaches at UCD Adult education and the National Gallery of Ireland.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, art historian Jessica Fahy discusses portraits of Irish women writers in collections of the Hugh Lane Gallery. Jessica focuses on writers and painters who were active from the end of the 19th century to the start of the Second World War including Lady Gregory, Jane Barlow, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Katharine Tynan and Alice Stopford Green.  Although prolific and popular during their careers, most are out of print and neglected by 21st Century readers. Jessica also shines a long overdue spotlight on Sarah Purser, a successful portrait painter who was instrumental in setting up Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane.  Dublin City Libraries & Archives · The Long Gaze Back: Portraits of Irish Women WritersRecorded at Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane on 15 April 2018List of portraits from the collection of The Hugh Lane mentioned in this talk:Maud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1890)Maud Gonne by Sarah Purser (1898)Lady Gregory by Antonio ManciniLady Gregory bronze by Jacob EpsteinMiss Jane Barlow, D.Litt., (1894) by Sarah PurserKatharine Tynan by Jack B Yeats (1887)Dora Sigerson Shorter by John Lavery (1918)Alice Stopford Green by William RothensteinMrs Victor Rickard by Matthew WebbPortrait of pilot, Lady Mary Heath by Sir John Lavery (1928)Jessica Fahy is a freelance art historian based in Dublin, Ireland. Jessica has been teaching and researching various areas of European art for over 10 years and is passionate about sharing her love for the subject in an engaging and interactive way.She teaches at UCD Adult education and the National Gallery of Ireland. More about the Hugh LaneThe The Hugh Lane’s popular Coffee Conversations have moved online. During these discussions participants are invited to join Gallery curators and guest speakers in an exploration of the Gallery's permanent collection, exhibitions and conservation projects. Their recent Coffee Conversation talk with Sarah Edmondson discusses Lady Gregory by Jacob Epstein in the collection of the Hugh Lane Gallery. The talk was recorded at home in the spirit of social distancing. We hope you enjoy and keep an eye on the Hugh Lane Gallery’s YouTube channel for more #MuseumfromHome talks.  SubscribeYou can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, The Long Gaze Back authors Bernie McGill, Lia Mills and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne read from their work and talk with Sinéad Gleeson about the anthology, their work, and being a female author in Ireland today.Recorded at Blanchardstown Library on 12 April 2018, with thanks to Fingal Libraries for making the audio available to us.Éilis Ní Dhuibhne is a novelist, critic and folklore scholar. Among her novels are Cailíni Beaga Ghleann na mBlath, The Dancers Dancing, and Fox, Swallow Scarecrow. Lia Mills writes novels (Another Alice, Nothing Simple, and Fallen, which was the Dublin: One City One Book title for 2016) short stories and essays. Sinéad Gleeson is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. Sinead's collection of essays Constellations was published in 2019 by Picador. Bernie McGill is the author of The Watchhouse, Sleepwalkers and of The Butterfly Cabinet.  She is currently Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast. Dublin City Libraries & Archives · Feast of Female Voices You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books. 

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Looking Forward, Gazing Back, writers June Caldwell and Sinéad Gleeson and theatre maker and campaigner Lian Bell of #WakingTheFeminists movement discuss the practices, processes and contexts of Irish women’s writing today.  Chaired by Garret Fagan. Recorded at the National Library of Ireland on 21 April 2018, thanks to National Library of Ireland for making this audio available to us. June Caldwell's acclaimed collection of short stories Room Little Darker, was published in 2017. She is a prizewinner of the Moth International Short Story Prize. Her first novel, Little Town Moone, was published in 2019.Lian Bell works as a set designer, cultural project manager, and artistic collaborator. She was Campaign Director of #WakingTheFeminists, the highly successful one-year grassroots campaign for equality for women in Irish theatre. Sinéad Gleeson’s debut collection of essays: Constellations: Reflections from Life was published in April 2019 by Picador. She is the editor of The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore, two anthologies of stories by Irish women writers. She is currently working on a novel. Garrett Fagan works for UCD Adult Education and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.

In this episode of the DCLA podcast, musician Eileen Gogan responds to stories from The Long Gaze Back and talks to editor Sinéad Gleeson. They discuss the parallels and crossovers between song writing and writing, the difficulty of choosing a title, writer’s block, influences and the parallels between poetry and lyrics. Eileen is accompanied by musician Ed McGinley.For rights reasons you will only hear clips from Eileen’s songs, to hear, including her new album Under Moving Skies visit https://eileengoganandtheinstructions.bandcamp.com/Recorded at Walkinstown Library on 9 April at 2018.  Dublin City Libraries & Archives · Notes of ChangeEileen chooses stories from The Long Gaze Back and pairs them with her songs that echo the same themes, feelings and ideas. Eileen performs Malibu Stacy, Planets, Home, Sweet Alice, Dreamtime Stories mentioned: ‘Berghain’ by Lisa McInerney ‘The Eldest Child’ by Maeve Brennan‘Somewhere to be’ by Siobhan Mannion‘The Meaning of Missing’ by Evelyn Conlon‘I’ll take you there’ by Niamh Boyce‘Infinte Landscapes’ by Roisín O’Donnell   Eileen Gogan's new album Under Moving Skies is out on 29 May 2020. Her first album, The Spirit of Oberlin, recorded with her band, The Instructions, was released to wide acclaim in 2015. Outside of her solo work, she has sung with The Would Bes’, The Revenants, The Drays and Microdisney.Ed McGinley, singer, song-writer and guitarist with The Dixons and The Winters. His first solo collection Tangled Roots & Twisted Tales was released in 2019.  You can subscribe to the Dublin City Libraries and Archives podcast on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This season is based on recordings from the 2018 Dublin: One City, One Book events. Dublin: One City, One Book is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, that encourages everyone to read a particular book during the month of April every year. 2018's choice was 'The Long Gaze Back' which you can read on Borrowbox and of course you can order it from your favourite bookshop.The Dublin: One City, One Book for 2020 is Tatty by Christine Dwyer Hickey, available electronically on our BorrowBox app and from your favourite bookseller.Finally if you’re interested in podcasts why not check out the Dublin Festival of History podcast which features recordings from the free annual event and the new City of Books podcast with Martina Devlin, the podcast for people who believe stories matter. And that you can never have too many books.