News & Events

One of the most important surviving medieval manuscripts written in Irish, the Book of Leinster, goes on display as part of a new exhibition in the Library of Trinity College Dublin following a major conservation project. Funding for this conservation was generously provided through a grant from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project

Written in Old and Middle Irish in the 12th century, the Book of Leinster, or Leabhar Laighean, is an important source of Irish literature and history from the medieval period. 

It contains historical and genealogical information, mainly on Leinster kings and heroes, mythological and historical accounts of invasions and battles, descriptive prose and verse and the history and etymology of nearly 200 place-names.

The manuscript came to Trinity in 1786 in an unbound state. For some time the fragile condition of its 400 vellum pages prevented it being put on public display or being consulted by researchers. 

But now, thanks to painstaking conservation, the manuscript has been cleaned, stabilised, extensive tears and losses have been repaired and the different sections re-assembled. 

Several examples of newly-conserved pages from the Book of Leinster now form the centrepiece of a new exhibition entitled “The Book of Leinster − Preserving for the Future”. Curated by the Library of Trinity College Dublin the exhibition is being held to celebrate the completion of the conservation project. 

Also on display will be other significant Irish-language medieval manuscripts including Brehon law texts and the Yellow Book of Lecan (Leabhar Buidhe Leacáin). The exhibition forms part of the Book of Kells Experience and will run until August 12th, 2025. See here to book tickets for both exhibitions. 

Chief Manuscript Conservator Dr John Gillis, the Library of Trinity College Dublin, who has led the project, explained: “Over the past two years we have undertaken meticulous conservation of this extremely fragile and important manuscript. This involved replacing losses where necessary with new vellum, particularly the vulnerable backfolds, and reinforcing weakened areas and tears in the manuscript with a form of thin collagen.”

“We were successful in our efforts to stabilise this precious manuscript and now it can be safely handled, studied and displayed. We also recorded all evidence of sewings and other marks to help better understand the manuscript’s own past.”

Caoimhe Ní Ghormáin, Curator, Manuscripts and Archives, the Library of Trinity College Dublin, added: “The Book of Leinster provides us with an unparalleled snapshot of the Middle Ages in Ireland. It includes a significant version of the famous Irish saga Táin Bó Cúailnge, or the Cattle Raid of Cooley, which is the story of the warrior Cú Chulainn.

“Most famously, it contains the Irish ‘Book of Genesis’, Lebor Gabála Érenn, which establishes Ireland, the Irish people and their language in a biblical world setting. According to the manuscript, the Irish language was created after the confusion at the Tower of Babel thus avoiding all the shortcomings of other languages. This origin story was particularly relevant in medieval times when Irish was threatened by the enormous prestige of Latin.” 

Fernando Vicario, Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America Europe DAC and Country Head for Ireland said: “We are delighted that the conservation has been a success. It was an honour to be part of preserving this precious manuscript, with a grant from Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project. The initiative was established in 2010, with the purpose of preserving cultural heritage and to date, more than 275 conservation grants have been awarded in over 40 countries. We look forward to seeing the Book of Leinster and hope that many more people will now be able to enjoy this treasured work for years to come.”

Mícheál Hoyne, Assistant Professor, Department of Irish and Celtic Languages, Trinity College Dublin said:

“The Book of Leinster was rescued from possible oblivion by the Welsh scholar Edward Lhwyd at the end of the 17th century. At that time the native schools of history, poetry and law had collapsed and traditional Irish learning was in danger of being forgotten altogether. The manuscript then spent most of the 18th century inaccessible to Irish scholars in an English nobleman’s library. It was finally presented to Trinity College as a gift to the Irish people in 1786.”

“Since then it has been the responsibility of Trinity to preserve and study this vital source for Irish language, literature and learning in the Middle Ages. The conservation work now carried out on the manuscript is the latest chapter in that story. Scholars continue to explore the riches of this book, so it is vital that we preserve and protect this manuscript for future generations.”

A digital exhibition focusing on medieval Irish language manuscripts held in the Library of Trinity College Dublin can be viewed here.

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Note to Editors

More about the “The Book of Leinster − Preserving for the Future” exhibition:

Opening on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, the exhibition includes several examples of newly-conserved pages from the Book of Leinster and other significant Irish-language manuscripts from the early Irish period including the Yellow Book of Lecan (Leabhar Buidhe Leacáin) and a number early Irish law texts known as Brehon law. The exhibition forms part of the Book of Kells Experience and will run until August 12th, 2025. See here to book tickets for both exhibitions. 

More about the Book of Leinster: The Book of Leinster dates from the 12th century and it is a compendium of prose, verse, genealogy, mythology and place-name lore. Written by the “prime historian of Leinster”, Áed Úa Crimthainn, abbot of Tír-Dá-Glas (Terryglass) monastery in Co Tipperary, it was formerly known as the Lebor na Nuachongbála or Book of Nuachongbáil — a monastic site known today as Oughaval in Co Laois.

Six talented Trinity students have been named as the winners of a creative competition held to honour the legacy of Irish author, Christy Nolan, and to mark the 25th Anniversary of Trinity disAbility Service.

The competition, Perseverance Through Words: A Tribute to Christy Nolan, was open to all disabled staff and students in Trinity, with all art forms welcome, including literary, visual arts, film, and performance. It was organised by Trinity disAbility Service in collaboration with the Library of Trinity College Dublin.

The winners are:

• Anna Lopuchowycz, for a poem entitled ‘Notch’
• Aoife O’Donovan, for a musical composition inspired by Christy Nolan’s words which he used in his autobiography to describe the beginning of his venture as a Trinity student; ‘Zealous mercurial dreams were about to be realised’
• Ava Rose Beggy, for an untitled oil painting; inspired by the above quote
• Avantika Singhal, for an untitled personal essay, inspired by Christy words; ‘Now could he ever get his chance to let folk see what they thought never existed?’
• Claudia Clarke Gosalvez, for a charcoal drawing entitled, ‘Hearts’
• Holly Wolohan, for poem entitled ‘Private Piano Portmanteau’

The winners were announced at a ceremony in Trinity Library’s Long Room on Wednesday, May 7th, which included speeches from Yvonne Nolan, Christy Nolan’s sister, and Rosaleen McDonagh, author, playwright, and disability activist.

The overall winner, a musical composition by Aoife O’Donovan, will now form part of the current exhibition in the Long Room entitled "Zealous mercurial dreams were about to be realised: New treasures of the Old Library", which features archival material from the Library’s Christy Nolan archive. An online exhibition about the Christy Nolan archive can be viewed here.

Christy Nolan (1965-2009) remains a shining example of Irish creativity and literary talent. At just fifteen, he published his first poetry collection, Dam-Burst of Dreams, followed by his memoir, Under the Eye of the Clock, and later the critically acclaimed novel The Banyan Tree. During his time as an undergraduate at Trinity College Dublin, Christy's disability was secondary to the interactions he had with fellow students and his lecturers.

Declan Treanor, Director of Trinity disAbility Service, Trinity College Dublin, explained: “Christy Nolan once said that ‘nobody made him feel different’ at Trinity — a powerful reminder of what this university can be at its best: a place where disabled people are not only accepted but celebrated.

“As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Trinity disAbility Service, and honour Christy’s extraordinary legacy, we affirm that creativity and self-expression lie at the heart of both our history and our future. The development of the disAbility Hub has creativity embedded in its very foundations — a space where imagination, voice, and talent are nurtured. Through this competition, we celebrate the richness of disabled voices in all their forms, just as Christy once did.”

Laura Shanahan, Head of Research Collections, Library of Trinity College Dublin, added:  

"Partnering with the DisAbility Service on this competition project, using the Christy Nolan Archive and his published works as inspiration, has been a huge privilege for the Library. Christy's archive was donated to Trinity by his family, ‘in tribute to his bravery, and his exceptional body of work… and as a testament to what is possible through love and indomitability’.   In the act of preservation of the archive and through the re-promotion of his works in our exhibition, we are grateful to have played just one small part in ensuring Christy's legacy amongst the great Irish writers of the twentieth century.

“The Library feels strongly that what we collect now must contain diversity of voices and experiences. The history of Christy's experience has particular resonance in a University context because it demonstrates the role that science, technology, medicine and education had in in enabling the humanistic expression of his art."

The judging panel for the competition comprised: Sunniva Corr, Christy Nolan’s niece and a student on Trinity’s MPhil in Creative Writing; Dr Nick Johnson, Associate Professor of Drama; Eoin McNamee, Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing; and Jen O’Connor, Disability and Inclusive Internship Programme Officer.

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The above image features overall winner, Aoife O’Donovan holding the score for her musical composition inspired by Christy Nolan

The Library of Trinity College Dublin is renowned for its medieval collections, but a new exhibition opened this week showcasing new treasures acquired by the Library celebrating and reflecting on Ireland’s literary greats, past and present, as well as historical documents and contemporary works of art. 

On display is material from the Christy Nolan Archive alongside items related to acclaimed writers such as John Banville, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift, and Bram Stoker.

Also included in the exhibition are modern works of art works inspired by Irish writers of the past reflecting on themes including homelessness, racism, disability, and direct provision. 

The exhibition highlights the important work cultural institutions such as the Library of Trinity College Dublin undertake “collecting the now” — acquiring and safeguarding contemporary cultural artifacts for future generations, explains Laura Shanahan, curator of the exhibition and Head of Research Collections, at Trinity Library.

Highlights include: 

• Literary drafts, photographs and some personal effects of Christy Nolan including his pointer known as a ‘unicorn stick’.
• Manuscript drafts of John Banville’s publication The Singularities.
• A notecard written by Samuel Beckett while in hiding in Tunisia following the announcement of his being awarded Nobel Prize for literature.
• Literary drafts for Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin’s poetry collection The Sun-fish.
• Original artwork for Annie West’s book Yeats in Love.
• A Modest Proposal by The Salvage Press – limited edition fine art book containing new interpretations of Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay with poems by Jessica Traynor and lithographs by David O'Kane.
• Artist Elide Piras’s When You Are Old woodcut inspired by Yeat’s famous poem.

Laura Shanahan, curator of the exhibition and Head of Research Collections, commented: 

“It is so important to us, in the Library, to be able to share the collections in our care with the wider public, and to demonstrate our commitment to collecting printed works, art and archives that document the lived experiences of people today, in our society. It is also important to build upon the records of the past, and for us to integrate voices and experiences that may be historically underrepresented. This exhibition showcases that work and the community of artists, writers, academics, librarians and archivists who share the same mission.”

Entitled ‘Zealous mercurial dreams were about to be realised’, the exhibition draws inspiration from Christy Nolan’s autobiography Under the Eye of the Clock. His archive was donated to Trinity by his family. 

Christy Nolan’s sister Yvonne Nolan explained:

“I know that Trinity would have been the place that both Christy and my mother and father would most want the Archive to go to. The most important thing that any of us had contact with in our lives was that Christy was a daylight genius. And now it was my turn to mind the lamp and pass it on.

“When Trinity accepted the Archive, I was so, so delighted. I heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that – again – “if you can see it, you can be it” for other Irish or international people who are dealing with issues of disability; that his Archive would be here to be researched, that – long after publishers had stopped publishing Christy’s work – it would still be here and alive and living in a new place.”

The physical exhibition in the Long Room of the Old Library and forms part of the Book of Kells Experience. See here to book tickets for both exhibitions. The exhibition runs until May 20th, 2025.

Four online exhibitions will be published to complement the physical exhibition. The first,  focusing on the John Banville archive, goes live today on the Library’s online exhibition website. [https://www.tcd.ie/library/exhibitions/]. Further online exhibitions will focus on the Christy Nolan archive, the Samuel Beckett correspondence and The Salvage Press’s A Modest Proposal book. 

Speaking about his own Archive being housed in Trinity, John Banville has said: 

“It was Patricia Quinn who said to me, years ago, “You should keep your papers, and you should keep them in Trinity.”  A wonderful notion, by the way - 'my papers'! But Patricia was right, and I am thrilled and fiercely proud to know that they are here, in Dublin, and in Trinity College. I delight in the fact.”

A series of linked public events will be hosted by the Library in the coming months drawing on the archives featured in the exhibition, including a panel and competition on ‘Disability and Creativity’; a feature on ‘Prize winning writing – rejection and triumph’ in collaboration with the Dublin Literary Award, ‘Art and activism’ and ‘Collecting the now: John Banville’s archive’. The events schedule will be published on the Library website.

Laura Shanahan added: 

“This exhibition aims to start new conversations about collecting, about supporting that collecting practice, and enabling the cataloguing and digitisation activities necessary to make these records accessible to as many people as possible. Looking ahead, we will be seeking support for this work on the Christy Nolan archive and the growth of other literary archival collections. And looking back, we are recognising the foresight our various benefactors through the centuries had in building this great library.”

‘Zealous mercurial dreams were about to be realised’ was launched by author and columnist Fintan O’Toole in the Long Room, Old Library, Trinity College Dublin on Thursday, 30th of January, 2025 at 6pm. 

Collections featured in this exhibition form part of the Virtual Trinity Library programme, a digitisation initiative of the Library of Trinity College Dublin’s most valued collections.  See the Virtual Trinity Library website for more.

Photo Caption:

Head of Research Collections pictured holding “A Modest Proposal” by The Salvage Press. A 21^st century response to Jonathan Swift’s original text.

The Papers of Michael Davitt, MS 9320-9681.  

A project to catalogue, conserve and digitise the papers of Irish nationalist, social reformer, and champion of the Irish diaspora Michael Davitt (1846-1906) is currently underway as part of Virtual Trinity Library. Davitt was a convicted Fenian, Irish nationalist, Irish Parliamentary Party MP, investigative journalist, and agrarian campaigner, who is well known for being one of the founders of the Irish National Land League. This extensive collection was presented to the Library from 1978 to 1980 by Davitt’s son, Cahir Davitt, and includes over 6000 letters, 550 photographs, 60 diaries as well as newspaper cuttings, published pamphlets, and articles. This material details an important period in Irish history when the focus of Irish nationalism shifted from the revolutionary politics of the Fenian Brotherhood to the constitutional politics of the Irish Parliamentary Party in Westminster and the mass-agrarian movement of the Irish National Land League. Within the collection are diaries and notebooks with research for his books on prison life, his time in the USA, Australia and New Zealand and Russia.

The Davitt papers are one of the most heavily used historic collections in the Library of Trinity College Dublin. The Michael Davitt Papers Project aims to update the existing catalogue, to digitise and to publish the images online on Digital Collections, to increase the visibility and accessibility of this significant collection. An archivist, a conservator, and a digital photographer were appointed to the project between August and November 2024 and work has begun to make this collection of national importance more widely available. Keep an eye out for updates from this fascinating project!

Ciara Daly

There was a special unveiling of new artwork by artist Nuala Clarke in the John Stearne Library in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James’s Hospital yesterday [Thursday, December 12th, 2024]

Gathered at the event, were Professor Colin Doherty, Director of the School of Medicine, Professor Jim Malone, Robert Boyle Professor (Emeritus), Librarian and College Archivist, Helen Shenton and Deputy Head of Readers’ Services (Reading Room Services & Space), Peter Dudley along with colleagues from Trinity disAbility Service, the School of Medicine and Library.

On the occasion of the unveiling, Peter Dudley said: 

“Today’s unveiling of this uniquely abstract artwork by Nuala Clarke gifted by the Robert Boyle Foundation will contribute to the Library’s ongoing development of learning environments designed for quiet study, rest and relaxation for our students. The paintings will add a reflective note to the Library space and sensory environment for our students as they work and study.”

 

The Robert Boyle Foundation named after the great 17th century Irish scientist commissioned Nuala Clarke to create these abstract paintings that draw on Boyle's texts. 

Nuala Clarke’s abstract paintings were inspired by Boyle’s book on the nature and interactions of colour.  They encourage her to “conduct her own promiscuous experiments within the realm of light, colour, reflection, and refraction − where colour and form are felt out and structure shifts until a rightness or truth is felt,” the artist explained.

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Pictured in the image are:

Deputy Head of Readers’ Services (Reading Room Services & Space), Peter Dudley, Professor Jim Malone, Robert Boyle Professor (Emeritus), Artist Nuala Clarke &  Professor Colin Doherty, Director of the School of Medicine at the unveiling.

Two sketchbooks belonging to the composer Ina Boyle (1889-1967) have been donated by Mary Kelly to the Library of Trinity College Dublin, where they will join the rest of the Ina Boyle manuscript collection as TCD MSS 11735/1-2.

On the occasion of the donation, Roy Stanley, Music Librarian at the Library of Trinity College said: “Ina Boyle composed a number of stage works, and some of the manuscripts include her drawings of costumes and stage designs. It is therefore very exciting that we are now able to add these sketchbooks to the collection, containing Boyle’s drawings of her surroundings at Bushey Park and portraits of musicians in her circle (including her teacher and mentor Ralph Vaughan Williams). Thanks to this generous donation by Mary Kelly, future scholars will now have a more complete picture of the range of Ina Boyle’s talents.”

Sometimes the survival of an archival treasure depends on pure happenstance. Over fifty years ago a young girl, Mary Kelly, accompanied her father to an auction at Bushey Park, Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, where the owner, Ina Boyle, had recently died. “Miss Boyle” had been a familiar figure in the locality, driving to and from the village in her bottle green Morris Minor. Members of Mary Kelly’s family spoke of her as a talented composer who was frequently performed by the BBC but was not appreciated in her own country. 

In the house, Mary’s father noticed a heap of rubbish in a corner which was clearly on its way to the dump. He spotted drawing books in the pile and asked Mary to pick them up as they might contain some blank pages she could use for drawing. When they got home they discovered that the sketchbooks contained some of Miss Boyle’s drawings, so Mary refrained from using them and instead kept them safely as mementos. 

At around the same time Ina Boyle’s friend and fellow composer, Elizabeth Maconchy, was arranging for the donation of Ina’s music manuscripts to the Library of Trinity College Dublin, where they were soon organised and catalogued. The collection is substantial, containing a total of 140 works, including 66 songs, 37 choral pieces, an opera, 12 pieces for chamber ensemble, and 24 orchestral pieces (including three symphonies, three ballet scores, a violin concerto, and several pieces for cello and orchestra).

Despite Boyle’s constant efforts to promote her music, few of these works had been published or performed in the composer’s lifetime. In an effort to remedy this, in 1974 the Library published Ina Boyle: an appreciation with a select list of her music by Elizabeth Maconchy. However, for several decades the collection remained little noticed. This has changed in the last fifteen years or so, largely due to the efforts of Boyle’s biographer Ita Beausang and the work of the Ina Boyle Society Limited (IBSL), spearheaded by its indefatigable founder Katie Rowan.

This renewed interest has prompted the Library to digitise many of the manuscripts and make them available on its Digital Collections platform This gives musicologists and performers easy access to the manuscripts, allowing them to produce scholarly and practical performing editions. As a result there have been numerous public performances and recordings in recent years, as noted on the IBSL website www.inaboyle.org.

All of this activity has been a source of great pleasure to Mary Kelly who, in the years since her rescue of Ina Boyle’s sketchbooks, has herself become a noted composer. She decided that the time had come to give the sketchbooks a permanent home and, in consultation with the Ina Boyle Society, offered to donate them to the Library, where they will join the rest of the Ina Boyle manuscript collection. 

On Tuesday, 5th November last, Mary Kelly was joined by a group representing the Ina Boyle Society to make the formal presentation. 

On the occasion of the donation, Mary Kelly said: 

“I kept the drawing books all these years hoping that one day, they would find a proper home. When I graduated with a B. Mus. in 1978, my aunts urged me to do a Masters on Miss Boyle. Life got in the way and I regret not having taken their advice but am so glad that she is finally getting the recognition that my father and my aunts knew she deserved. I am delighted that the sketchbooks will finally be where they belong.”

Emma Coulthard, Chair of the Ina Boyle Society, said: “''On behalf of the Ina Boyle Society, I am really pleased that these sketchbooks, which give us an intimate portrait of Ina, are going to be part of the collection at Trinity College. The legacy of Ina continues to grow, and we hope to attract more interest in her life and work, given the important place she holds within Irish musical history. We would like Ina's contribution to be celebrated more widely and her works to be an inspiration to all who create or perform them.”

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Pictured in the image above are Jane Maxwell, Mary Kelly (donor), Ita Beausang (Ina Boyle biographer), Roy Stanley.

Irish Government announces €200,000 in funding towards the conservation of the Robert and Nelofer Pazira-Fisk Archive & Library

Trinity College Dublin has received €200,000 in funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to support the conservation of the personal archive of the renowned late journalist and Trinity graduate Robert Fisk and his wife, Nelofer Pazira-Fisk.  The Archive, spanning Robert Fisk’s 50-year journalistic career, was donated to the Library of Trinity College Dublin by Nelofer Pazira-Fisk. 

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. announced the funding at Trinity’s Eavan Boland Library this week, with Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, Trinity Provost Dr Linda Doyle, and Librarian and College Archivist Helen Shenton in attendance. 

Robert Fisk received a PhD in political science from Trinity College Dublin in 1985 and maintained a life-long connection with the University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2008. 

The Robert and Nelofer Pazira-Fisk Archive & Library encompasses material from Robert Fisk’s first posting in Belfast in 1972 for the London Times up until the posthumous publication of his final book, The Night of Power: Betrayal of the Middle East (2024). Notes from his interviews with Osama Bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan are among the extensive range of notebooks, research notes, photographs, audio files of interviews, drafts for published works, and correspondence of letters and emails. The collection also includes artefacts such as explosives shells and salvaged items such as the strip of an oil painting taken from a church by Islamic State. 

The Library of Trinity College Dublin will make this Archive fully accessible as soon as possible for readers and researchers in-person and online. There is extensive work involved in cataloguing, conserving and preserving, and digitising an archive of such significance. 

In supporting these life-cycle costs, Government funding will now help to make this possible and has enabled this generous donation by Nelofer Pazira-Fisk to proceed. 

Nelofer Pazira-Fisk said: 

“I am grateful to people in Ireland for their moral stand against oppression and injustices – and to the Irish government for this kind financial support. Robert said we must bear witness and record what we see, so no one can say that they did not know. At a time when a dark curtain of censorship is extending across the Western democracies, when journalism is under attack, reporters face death and targeted assault, false labels and accusations undermine the work of anyone who dares speak out. The preservation and dissemination of information has become more pressing.  

“Robert and I often discussed our wish to pass on our archive so the future generations could make use of it with the hope that it will foster questioning and debate. And that knowledge of history enables humanity to say no to violence of all kinds. Robert had an affinity with Ireland and a great admiration for Trinity College as a place of knowledge. I am pleased that TCD has agreed to be the custodian of this collection.” 

Minister Patrick O’Donovan (pictured above on left with Nelofer, Librarian Helen Shenton and Provost Dr Linda Doyle) said:

 “This is an exciting day for Trinity, and I am thrilled to announce this funding which will enable the donation of this historic archive to proceed. 

“Robert Fisk was a celebrated journalist who spent over 45 years as a leading foreign correspondent for UK and Irish media, notably covering the Middle East from his base in Beirut. 

“His incredible career spanned numerous significant events, including conflicts in Iran, the Gulf, Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Gaza, as well as the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Arab Spring in 2011. Fisk also received numerous accolades for his work, including the British Press Awards’ International Journalist of the Year seven times and the ‘Reporter of the Year’ award twice. 

“The funding announced today will provide Trinity with the necessary resources to undertake an essential two-year conservation project. The availability of these materials will undoubtedly enrich the academic experiences of students and researchers alike.”  

Provost Dr Linda Doyle said:  “We are honoured that Nelofer Pazira-Fisk has donated this Archive to Trinity. It will advance teaching and research into the conflicts covered by Robert Fisk over so many years and will act as a vital resource for researchers, policy makers and the public. Today’s announcement will contribute to the Archive’s conservation and accessibility for the future.” 

Librarian and College archivist, Helen Shenton said: “Robert Fisk was unfaltering in his commitment to frontline journalism and being a witness to history, with one-on-one access to sources – many of whom are no longer alive today. The exceptional Archive includes ‘born digital’ content, containing email correspondence, representing a new archival area of the 21st century. The Library of Trinity College will ensure the physical and digital preservation of this Archive and make it accessible in the near future and for posterity. It will be available through our Research Collections Study Centre and online through our Virtual Trinity Library programme.” 

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The Library is delighted to announce that the Brendan Kennelly Literary Archive is now available to researchers in the Research Collections Reading Room. The archive was catalogued as part of Virtual Trinity Library, the Library’s ambitious project that seeks to enable online access to many of our most prized research collections across nine representative categories. The Brendan Kennelly project represents the themes of Ireland's Literary Heritage: Literary Archives and Trinity's Scholarly Contribution to the World: Trinity Icons. 

Brendan Kennelly was born in Ballylongford, County Kerry, on the 17^th April 1936. He Professor of Modern Literature at Trinity and was elected Professor Emeritus after his retirement in 2005. His archival material arrived in the Library in several different tranches, from varied provenances including Brendan Kennelly’s rooms in the University, from his house in Ballylongford, and from the Kennelly family. It was accessioned over a decade; the first tranche came in around 2008-2009. A large tranche of material came in 2018 - 2022 from his family. Material was also accessioned from the English Department in 2021- 2023. 

The collection is comprised of 229 banker boxes of material which include drafts of Kennelly’s published works; drafts of unpublished works; plays; novels; drafts of reviews, articles, speeches, essays, appreciations and tributes for colleagues and other Irish literary and cultural figures as well as material relating to his academic career and life as a public figure. It also includes lecture notes and materials relating to his time teaching in Trinity and elsewhere, correspondence with family, colleagues, and the general public, as well as with Irish writers, editors and publishers. Other material includes posters and programmes, photographs, and a small amount of audio material.

The part of the collection which is now catalogued and available for consultation is the literature section. This section comprises four series. The first series contains his published poetry collections organised in publication order, and his unpublished poetry collections such as ‘A Girl’ and ‘Virginity’. The unpublished poetry is organised to ensure usability of the material and the first line is used where no title is present.

The second series is comprised of Kennelly’s published plays and some unpublished dramatic adaptions, while the third series contains drafts of his novels and short stories. The fourth series contains drafts and copies of other work and material relating to his work editing and compiling anthologies.

The literature section amounts to fifty-eight banker boxes in total and has been prioritised for release based on several factors including size, interest for the researcher, recommendations from the English Department in Trinity College Dublin, ease of release and GDPR concerns (or lack thereof). 

You can view the finding aid for the collection here.