Dublin City Libraries & Archives

Dublin City has a remarkable collection of historical documents, many of which are under the care of Dublin City Public Libraries and Archive. Dr Maighread Ní Mhurchadha has drawn on the contents of these and other records to tell the stories of some of Dublin's residents during the Renaissance period in her book Early Modern Dubliners. Despite many difficulties, including plague, riots, the threat of war and serious religious differences, the citizens maintained a spirit of independence, a belief in the importance of their city and a strong sense of community, often using unorthodox means to achieve their ends and, occasionally, even managing to enjoy themselves!

This talk marked the launch of the Early Modern Dubliners on the 28th August, 2008.

In this lecture "Through streets broad and narrow": a history of Dublin’s trams, Michael Corcoran discusses the history of Dublin's trams, the men who drove them and how they intersected with events in Dublin's history such as the 1913 Lockout and the 1916 Rising. Michael Corcoran is a retired staff member of Dublin City Council, and founding member of the National Transport Museum at Howth.

The tenth annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture was recorded at Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street on 23 January 2007.

This lecture was published by Dublin City Public Libraries in 2008.

In this lecture, 'River, rivalry and revolt: history of the built fabric of Dublin City' Dr Christine Casey looks at how three elements the river, rivalry with London and revolution helped influence and shape the topography of Dublin.

Dr Christine Casey is lecturer at the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, UCD.

The eleventh annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture was recorded at Dublin City Library and Archive on On 23 January 2008.

This lecture was published by Dublin City Public Libraries in 2009.

A tips and advice session aimed at writers of children's literature presented by Barry Cunningham and Mary Byrne. The practical advice centred on elements of successful children's literature and the publishing and marketing process. In association with the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry. Recorded at Dublin City Library and Archive on 23 February 2008.

Mary Byrne worked in the children's publicity department of Puffin for years and she is now a PR consultant specialising in children's books. She plans campaigns for children's writers such as Cornelia Funke, Darren Shan, Cathy Hopkins, Derek Landy and Kate Thompson. She works closely with The Chicken House, Harper Collins and Picadilly Press.

Barry Cunningham was the Marketing Director for Puffin, while there he worked with many of the great names in children's publishing including Roald Dahl, Mary Norton and Spike Milligan. He then set up the children's publishing wing of Bloomsbury and while there he discovered JK Rowling. He set up his own publishing company The Chicken House in 2000. The Chicken House has published best selling books by Cornelia Funke, Kevin Brooks, Lucy Christopher and Rachel Ward and bestselling The Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon.

To celebrate the tercentenary of Charles Wesley's birth Dublin City Library presented The Underestimated Mr Wesley, a lecture by Dudley Levistone Cooney. Charles Wesley was a leader of the Methodist movement and younger brother of John Wesley. Wesley is primarily remembered as a writer of hymns including the Christmas favourite Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. He was also one of the most prolific poets in the English Language.

Dudley Levistone Cooney historian and writer is President of Wesley Historical Society in Ireland and President of Old Dublin Society and author of Methodists in Ireland: a short history.

The lecture was recorded at Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 on 18 December 2007, the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley. Introduction by Alastair Smeaton, Dublin City Public Libraries.

From 2011 to 2013 the Orchestra of St Cecilia performed the first three series of Haydn symphonies (18 concerts and 54 symphonies)at the Newman University Church, St Stephen's Green, Dublin, a building possessing splendid acoustics and architectural magnificence.

The Orchestra of St Cecilia was formed in January 1995. Drawn from the finest of Dublin’s professional musicians, it has a notable reputation for the excellent quality of its performances

The Orchestra of St Cecilia Collection was kindly donated to Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street in 2016.

From 2011 to 2013 the Orchestra of St Cecilia performed the first three series of Haydn symphonies (18 concerts and 54 symphonies)at the Newman University Church, St Stephen's Green, Dublin, a building possessing splendid acoustics and architectural magnificence.

The Orchestra of St Cecilia was formed in January 1995. Drawn from the finest of Dublin’s professional musicians, it has a notable reputation for the excellent quality of its performances

The Orchestra of St Cecilia Collection was kindly donated to Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street in 2016.

Anne and Niamh Buckley sing 'The Bonny Light Horseman', a traditional English lament from the Napoleonic wars, in front of a live audience at Marino Library on Culture Night, 20 September 2013.

The Bonny Light Horseman is a traditional English lament from the Napoleonic wars. This version is from Oisín and Geraldine MacGowan's 1980 LP Over the Moor to Maggie. Planxty also recorded a version on their 1979 album After the Break.

If you'd like to hear more, good listeners are always welcome at An Góilín, Traditional Singer's Club based in The Teacher's Club, Parnell Square, Dublin.

Anne and Niamh Buckley sing 'Madam I'm a Darling' in front of a live audience at Marino Library on Culture Night, 20 September 2013.

This is Frank Harte's version of Madam I'm a Darling. Frank Harte (1933-2005) was a Irish traditional singer, song collecter, architect and lecturer from Chapelizod, Dublin. He collected and published traditional folk songs and ballads of Dublin in Songs of Dublin. He is celebrated every September with the annual Frank Harte Festival.

If you'd like to hear more, good listeners are always welcome at An Góilín, Traditional Singer's Club based in The Teacher's Club, Parnell Square, Dublin.

Anne and Niamh Buckley sing 'The Pirate Jenny' from The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Recorded in front of a live audience at Marino Library on Culture Night, 20 September 2013.

Pirate Jenny is fromThe Threepenny Opera by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill. It was adapted from The Beggar's Opera (1728) by John Gay and was first performed in Berlin in 1928.

If you'd like to hear more, good listeners are always welcome at An Góilín, Traditional Singer's Club based in The Teacher's Club, Parnell Square, Dublin.