Blogs

Dublin City Council Historian in Residence Dr. Mary Muldowney and historian Catherine Holmes tell the story of the bombing of North Strand on the night of 30/31 May 1941. This special event to mark the 80th anniversary of the bombing was hosted by Charleville Mall Library on 31 May 2021.

Listen back to a recording of a discussion on global climate action and the food we eat.

Recorded online history talk hosted by Walkinstown Library by Historian in Residence, Cathy Scuffil.

Crisis in a Colonial Capital: The Black Death in Dublin with Dr Simon Egan

Watch The Great Brunswick Street Ambush, March 1921, a talk by historians Cathy Scuffil & Liz Gillis for the 100th anniversary of .
Hosted by Dublin City Libraries on Monday 15 March 2021.

The Central Library are hosting a new series by Dublin City Council Historian in Residence Dr Mary Muldowney which takes a look at retail streets like Henry Street and how they have changed over the last 100 years or so.

The general strike as a political weapon was used very effectively in Ireland on several occasions between 1918 to 1922. It was part of the successful resistance to the imposition of conscription in April 1918. One hundred years ago, on 12 April 1920, worked ceased all over the country, but especially in Dublin, as another general strike was called.Several thousand republicans had been imprisoned in previous months, as part of the British government’s response to events in the War of Independence. Over one hundred political prisoners were in Mountjoy Gaol in April 1920, when many of them decided to go on hunger strike in protest against the absence of formal charges against them. They were also angry that the authorities were breaching an agreement to treat them as prisoners-of-war rather than criminals.At Mountjoy Gaol tens of thousands of people demonstrated outside for the release of the republican prisoners. Women were especially prominent in the demonstrations, many of them on their knees and praying for the hunger strikers. British army soldiers were posted behind the walls of the gaol, which were covered with barbed wire to prevent any attempt to break in and release the prisoners.  Soldiers were standing with bayonets fixed while Royal Air Force planes flew towards the crowd at rooftop height, to intimidate them.The Irish trade unions - led by the Irish Transport and General Workers Union - organised a general strike in support of the hunger strikers and all the political prisoners. In many areas the strike committees took over the organisation of civic duties like food distribution and policing. After two days of general strike, on 12 and 13 April, the British authorities caved in and released all the republican prisoners. It was an effective demonstration of the general strike’s use as a political weapon.Sometimes economic and political demands could be mixed. On 17 April the dockers at the North Wall refused to load food for England. This action relieved the scarcity in Dublin, which was particularly bad in these years when large quantities were being shipped to Britain under the food control orders. In May 1920, railway workers began refusing to move British troops or military supplies in Ireland, restricting the military to the use of roads, which were constantly being trenched and blocked by IRA guerrillas. The boycott lasted until the end of the year, when the men were instructed to finish it to stave off the danger of retaliation by the state.Want to spend this ‘Stay At Home’ time reading, or even studying more history? Why not try out some of Dublin City Libraries history resources, you can use them with your library card and everything is free:BorrowBox has lots of history books including historical novels, non-fiction tomes and history audio books.RBDigital app has history magazines like BBC History, Military History and the genealogy magazine Who Do You Think You Are. Browse and download over 43,000 old photographs, maps and documents and thousands of old photographs, maps and historical documents available free-of-charge on our digital repository and image galleries.Find out the history and provenance of Dublin place names and monuments with the Historians in Residence live Facebook talks (https://www.facebook.com/DubHistorians) and online video lectures. On the library blog you can read the historians’ quick reads on topical subjects like the flu pandemic of 100 years ago, Molly Malone (did she really die of a fever?), when Dublin Telephonists challenged the government, and lots more.Read the book of local history essays written by Dublin City Council’s Historians in Residence History on Your Doorstep Volume 1.  Dublin City Council’s history on your doorstep programme brings this history & heritage to life.There are 30 online history courses on Universal Class complete with assignments and a tutor, including the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, Ancient Civilisations, and economic history.Keep in touch by following us on twitter at @histfest @dubhistoriansMary Muldowney, Historian in Residence Dublin City Council, Central Area 

While #stayathome is in force lots of people are getting to spend more time in their own local area. As you stroll around your 2km zone, you may not know that you’re surrounded by history and heritage, in the streets and buildings that make up our city and suburbs!Dublin City Council’s history on your doorstep programme brings this history & heritage to life.Do you know how your housing estate or street got its name? Join Cathy Scuffil in her live Facebook talks on the street names and place names of some of Dublin's best loved areas, including the Liberties and the housing estates in Crumlin, Ballyfermot and Drimnagh.Watch out for history on your doorstep panels and read about the place you are standing in, and see what your area looked like in the past through the thousands of photographs online in our digital collections.You may not be able to visit the City Centre, but James Curry’s illustrated videos about the statues on O’Connell Street, the City’s bridges, and other monuments, will give you lots to think about. You can find out that mistakes are sometimes set in stone, how Dubliners were able to drink the water, and why Rosie Hackett came to be celebrated in a bridge over the Liffey.On the library blog you can read the historians’ quick reads on topical subjects like the flu pandemic of 100 years ago, Molly Malone (did she really die of a fever?), the general strike of April 1920 and lots more.Podcasts are great company on a walk or doing the ironing, and we have a brilliant selection of talks from international and Irish historians on the Dublin Festival of History podcast. With two episodes a week you’ll have hours of listening with topics including the War of Independence, the Crusades, the rise of Hitler, and Great Irish speeches. Subscribe now!We also have lots of reading material, with a great selection of history books on BorrowBox and history magazines on RBDigital, and thousands of old photographs, maps and historical documents available free-of-charge on our digital repository and image galleries.Keep in touch by following us on twitter at @histfest @dubhistoriansSo, while you #stayathome, why need visit the city and the world through great history content, brought to you by Dublin City Council.

Whatever your area of interest, we have an online resource for you.  Today we’re going to take a look at The Great Courses Library Collection. This resource gives our library members access to an amazing world of knowledge.It is comprised of hundreds of videos on subjects ranging from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to chemistry, from the fundamentals of photography to learning French, from astronomy to art, from history to health, and much, much more.No matter what you’re interested in, you’ll find your favourite subject here. All the courses are taught by experts in their fields, including for example National Geographic’s master photographer Joel Satore and celebrated astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Features include: ·         Unlimited access via RB Digital mobile apps and browsers.·         Easy-to-use features with no commercials or interruptions so you can learn at your own pace.·         New courses added every month.·         Interactive, engaging, entertaining, and visually dazzling videos that make learning fun. And best of all, it’s free with your Dublin City Public Libraries membership card. See DCPL eResources for a full listing of our online resources.