South Dublin Libraries Local Studies Blog

Tallaght Historical Society Lecture Series 2012

localstudies — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:22:10 +0000

Thursday, 12th January 2012

Tallaght Through the Ages

Tomás Maher

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Thursday 9th February 2012

The History of Glencree and the Reformatory

Frank Tracy

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Thursday 8th March 2012

Alice Furlong, Tallaght Poetess

Eamonn Maloney, T.D.

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Thursday, 12th April 2012

The History of Tallaght Aerodrome

Michael Whelan

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Thursday 10th May 2012

The History of the Dublin & Blessington Steam Tram

Aidan Cruise

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Thursday 14th June 2012

The Battle of Tallaght

Seán Bagnall

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All lectures take place at the County Library, Tallaght, commencing at 7:00 p.m.

All Welcome!

Tallaght Historical Society Chairperson: Anne Hanrahan—contact 2441463 or 0876315773

De Havilland Chipmunk Anniversary Event

localstudies — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:24:35 +0000

Celebrating the 60^th Anniversary of the De Havilland Chipmunk service in The Irish Air Corps

You are invited to attend a symposium in Collins Barracks, National Museum of Ireland on January 14^th 2012 at 2.30pm

Guest Speakers include: Brigadier General Paul Fry, General Officer Commanding Irish Air Corps, Russ Kane, Former Irish Air Corps Chipmunk Flight Instructor, Boeing 747 Captain, Aviation Consultant, Clive Denny, MD Vintage Fabrics, Historic Aircraft Display Pilot and Michael Whelan, author, historian, and poet.

RSVP: bookings@museum.ie and copy to chipmunk169@gmail.com

Berkeley Costume and Toy Collection at Rathfarnham Castle

localstudies — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:26:31 +0000

Have you paid a visit to Rathfarnham Castle lately? Last month they launched The Berkeley Costume and Toy Collection which is collection of 18th and 19th Century toys, dolls and costumes. The collection is the passion of Irish artist and collector Countess Ann Griffin Bernstorff who began assembling it over twenty years ago, from her own family heirlooms and from auctions and donations. The items cover a period of eighty years, from 1740 to 1820, and range from rare and delicate artefacts to simple playthings and everyday garments of the past.

The fascinating toys and fabulous costumes bring the elegant and historic rooms of Rathfarnham Castle to life. It is the perfect setting to display this collection and to bring it to a wider audience.The exhibition will run for the next ten years.

A visit is highly recommended! It’s an amazing place to have on our doorstep. Rathfarnham Castle’s Winter opening hours are : 10.00 – 17:00 Wednesday – Sunday. Admission is completely free, tours are self guided but a guided tour can be prearranged if required. Groups of ten or more must book in advance. There’s a really nice café there too

Policing and Crime in 1830s Tallaght

localstudies — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:54:30 +0000

We’re delighted to host this year’s Old Dublin Society County Lecture which will take place next Wednesday evening, 30th November at 6:30 p.m. at the County Library, Tallaght.

Tallaght native Seán Bagnall will give a talk on Policing and Crime in 1830s Tallaght.

All Welcome!

The Arts and Crafts Movement in Ireland: lecture by Dr. Eimear O’Connor

localstudies — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:16:04 +0000

As part of our Year of Craft 2011 events, and also to celebrate the centenary of Clondalkin and Whitechurch Libraries, Dr. Eimear O’Connor of the History of Art Department at Trinity College Dublin will give a lecture entitled From Architecture to the Decorative Arts: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Ireland next Tuesday evening 22nd November at 7:00 p.m. at the County Library Tallaght. Dr. O’Connor is an art historian and is the Clare and Tony White post-doctoral research fellow at TRIARC-Irish Art Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests are wide-ranging. The subject of her PhD research was Irish artist Seán Keating (1889-1977) and she curated an exhibition of his work for The Hunt Museum in Limerick. She is also the author of Seán Keating in Context: Responses to culture and politics in post-civil war Ireland.

Everyone is welcome to this event!

For more on the Arts and Crafts style architecture of Clondalkin and Whitechurch Libraries, see the T.J. Byrne Image Collection in Source.

South Dublin County Roll of Honour 1914-1918

localstudies — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:00:55 +0000

South Dublin Libraries Local Studies section has just finished compiling a Roll of Honour of men from the current South Dublin County parishes who died in the First World War. Click HERE to view.

It will be located on South Dublin Libraries’ “Source” Digital Archive from tomorrow, the 12th of November.

The list was compiled from printed publications, WWI memorials, CD and online databases.

The Roll of Honour lists those men whose death record includes the name of the parish in which they were either born or resided. However not all of the death records include this information, and for this reason the list is incomplete.

If you know of any person who died in the First World War, was born or resided in the South Dublin County area (Tallaght, Lucan, Clondalkin, Newcastle, Palmerstown/Palmerston, Rathfarnham, Saggart, Rathcoole or Whitechurch) and would like the person included in the Roll of Honour, please send as many details as you have (Name, Rank, Number, Regiment, year of death) to library@sdublincoco.ie, and we will find additional detail for inclusion in the Roll.

More information on sources to help you research relatives who served in WWI can be found HERE .

Watch this space for upcoming Irish UN Peacekeeping and World War 2 Rolls of Honour.

Leo Swan Memorial Lecture 2011

localstudies — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:56:03 +0000

The tenth Annual Leo Swan Memorial Lecture

Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland: Recent Archaeological Discoveries along St. Kevin’s Pilgrims’ Road to Glendalough

Aidan O’Sullivan, UCD School of Archaeology.

At The County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24

on Wednesday 9th November 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

All Welcome!

Tallaght Writer Named Second Place Winner of the Prestigious 2011 Patrick Kavanagh International Poetry Award

localstudies — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:47:28 +0000

Local author and historian Michael Whelan MA has been awarded ‘Joint Second’ place in the prestigious Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for his collection of poems titled Against the Black Sky, We Listen: An Irish Peacekeepers Poems, inspired by his experiences while serving as a Peacekeeper in South Lebanon and Kosovo with the Irish Defence Forces.

The late Patrick Kavanagh, regarded as one of the foremost Irish poets of the 20th century, is known for such works as the epic poem, “The Great Hunger” (1942), and the classic novel Tarry Flynn (1948). Named in his honor, the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is bestowed upon a poet born in Ireland, of Irish nationality or a long term resident of Ireland. Poet, playwright, screenwriter, art critic and novelist Brian Lynch served as the adjudicator of the Kavanagh Award this year.

The Kavanagh Award has recognized many artists who have gone on to great success as poets and authors. Previous winners include Harry Clifton, the current Ireland Chair of Poetry; Eileán Ni Chuilleanáin, this year’s International Griffin Poetry Prize winner; Paul Durcan, the Whitbread Poetry Award and Irish American Cultural Institute Poetry Award recipient; Joe Woods, the Director of Poetry Ireland; and Sinead Morrissey, a Lannan Literary Fellowship winner.

Michael is also the author of two works of non-fiction, The Battle of Jadotville and Allegiances Compromised , both published by South Dublin Libraries.

Congratulations Michael!

Talk by ‘Allegiances Compromised’ author Michael Whelan

localstudies — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:00:51 +0000

Award winning local historian and author Michael Whelan will give a lecture entitled Allegiances Compromised: Ex-British Soldiers in the Irish Army 1913-1924 at the County Library, Tallaght next Tuesday evening, 27th September at 7:00 p.m.

South Dublin Libraries published Michael’s book of the same title this summer, and it explores the stories of Irish men who fought in the British Army in World War I, and then returned home and joined the effort to fight for Ireland’s independence. Their military expertise and war experience were invaluable to the Volunteers and the Irish Army, yet they were treated with suspicion and, in some cases, contempt by their fellow Irishmen for their perceived disloyalty.

Michael Whelan has been a serving member of the Irish Air Corps for twenty-one years. He was served with the United Nations Peacekeeping forces in Lebanon and with the Peace Enforcement forces in Kosovo. He works at Casement Aerodrome where he is the curator of the Air Corps Museum and Heritage Project. He is also the author of The Battle of Jadotville: Irish Soldiers in Combat in the Congo, 1961 published by South Dublin Libraries in 2006.

All are welcome to this event!

Once Upon a Time in Tallaght

localstudies — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:53:47 +0000

A new book, Once Upon a Time in Tallaght, Tinker Tales and Traveller Stories was launched at the County Library last night. The book is a collection of stories, poems and photographs about the life of the Travelling community in South Dublin County in the 1950s and 60s. Mervyn Ennis, a native of Ballymount and resident of Saggart, has had his poetry recognised in Irish and British awards and in Irish, British, Italian and Australian publications. This is his first venture into prose and is a tribute to the Travelling people, whose cause he championed in the High Court and Supreme Court in the 1980s and he was the first social worker to accompany a Traveller delegation to Strasbourg to articulate their case.

Mervyn says “During [the 1950s and early 60s] Travellers were the victims of much discrimination and poverty but despite this they have tremendous resilience and great can-do spirit – it is this humanity and spirituality that the book is trying to get in touch with”.

The book is illustrated by striking photographs by former Irish Times photographer Alen MacWeeney.

The book is published by South Dublin County Council and is available to buy from branches of South Dublin Libraries, priced €15 or by contacting Síle Coleman or Colette Carpenter at the County Library, Tallaght on 01 4620073 or localstudies@sdublincoco.ie. It will also shortly be available to borrow from our libraries. Alen MacWeeney’s photographs of Travellers are available in our digital archive Source.