There is a worrying phenomenon in the area of Information Technology known as the “Digital Dark Age”. The phrase was coined in 1997 by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and it refers to large bodies of work that were undertaken in the early days of computing (1978 onwards), and thereafter saved onto media that later became obsolete and is now at worst unreadable, or at best readable only by the small and dwindling number of the remaining pieces of relevant hardware. To make things worse, even if that hardware were available to the hapless archivist, the programming to read the media will likely no longer exist.
Among our Local Studies collection in Tallaght Library, there sits a large comb-bound volume. It was printed using a dot matrix printer some time in the 1990s and contains the result of an impressive piece of field work – the recording of headstone inscriptions in St. Maelruain’s Graveyard. We have no idea what type of computer this work was performed on, or how it was stored, but thankfully the results were printed and bound.
Had this work not been printed it could easily have been been lost forever.
We decided to make this available in searchable form by photographing the pages and transforming the images into text that was later proofread and corrected by a group of enthusiastic and dedicated Library staff, placed on a “futureproof” database and made into a searchable document. We present this collection of records now for your perusal.
There is a huge cross section of society here including: Four Old IRA veterans, five Garda Siochana, one Alderman, one Air Corps serviceman, two Victorian soldiers, Three Great War casualties, and two employees of the Dublin Blessington Tramway Company (workplace accidents) and many other no less important records of lives lived over the centuries. The earliest recorded burial is that of “Samuel McCoy Who Departed This Life 5th March 1627 Aged 45 Years”.
Some of the records include the name of the monumental sculptor who created the memorial. There are several interesting examples of headstones by J Pearse of 27 Great Brunswick Street. James Pearse was the father of Patrick Pearse and Brunswick Street is now Pearse Street.
It is extraordinary to think that the months-old infant Patrick Pearse was present in the house where James Pearse was carving the memorial to Elizabeth Whelan (Died 1896) which now stands on plot H96.
We hope you enjoy perusing these records which should be of great interest to historians of all hues.
Searchable document available here:
South Dublin Libraries Local Studies 
That’s fantastic, well done all involved!
Thanks Michael!
Well done all. The photo of the Evie Hone memorial is lovely. I think it was sculpted by Oisín Kelly?
Hi Colette, thanks for that. Oisín was a neighbour of hers in life, and he also rests in St. Maelruain’s. We are told by local historian Tomás Maher that Oisín did indeed sculpt her memorial. It was based on a small Penal Cross worn by Evie as a pendant which was bequeathed to him after her death.