Padraig Pearse, Irish revolutionary, and one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rebellion, was born #OTD 1879. This studio portrait of Patrick Pearse aged 5 was given to Éamon de Valera in 1967 by Máire and [Madeline] Macken.

Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed Saint John Henry Newman, a Doctor of the Church. Newman was the first Rector of the Catholic University of Ireland, a predecessor body of University College Dublin. The CU minute book of 12 November 1851 records Newman's appointment as Rector.

As it looks forward to celebrating its millennium in 2028, read a new blog post by Patricia Bedlow on researching Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin in resources held in UCD Special Collections. ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2025/10/30/t... @ucdarchives.bsky.social @ucddublin.bsky.social

Marie encounters her lover's ghost (Seán, killed by the Auxiliaries): M: ..if ever I had a hero, it was you—you are still my only hero. S: That's because I'm dead, a leanbh. It wouldn't have lasted otherwise—not in peace-time, not through a civil war. #halloween #RTERadioScripts 🎃👻

Ezra Pound was b. #OTD 1885. This is his signature from correspondence (1918-1928) with Desmond FitzGerald. Their letters discuss literary matters and the Censorship Bill, 1928. Pound attacks the Bill as ‘a worse piece of garbage than the US thing it is modelled on…an idiotic and tyrannic measure’.

Irish playwright, author and politician, Terence MacSwiney, died #OTD 1920 after 74 days on hungerstrike. Huge crowds lined the streets of London for the funeral procession.

Copy of the official submission of Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh’s resignation from the Office of the President #OTD 1976.

Don't forget to check out our digital exhibition on how the Irish Revolution was witnessed through photography in France. En français et en anglais. @clairedubois.bsky.social meshs-omekas.univ-lille.fr/omeka-s/s/im...

Sorry that we can't attend this. UCDA P48c includes Etienne Beuque correspondence with Dorothy Macardle, Annie and Mary MacSwiney, Florrie O’Donoghue and C.J. Harrington (1920–39).

This week's UCD #CulturalHeritage blog post @kate-manning.bsky.social delves into the @ucdarchives.bsky.social papers of Eoin MacNeill & Liam S. Gógan and illustrates how a researcher can trace an issue across more than one collection. Read at ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2025/10/21/o...

Eoin MacNeill, professor of early Irish history @ucddublin.bsky.social, revolutionary, politician, Irish language enthusiast, and Gaelic revivalist, d #OTD 1945. UCDA holds an large collection of his papers, which are available to consult by appt in our reading room. www.ucd.ie/archives/col...

🗣️🎤 Who, What, Where, When: Legendary song collector Stever Roud explains the four things he considers when cataloguing material for his song index.
 @intheroud.bsky.social @ucdlibrary.bsky.social @ucdarchives.bsky.social @duchas-ie.bsky.social

We're excited as UCD #DigitalPreservation Librarian Niamh Murphy will be delivering 2 sessions: 💠Auditing digital collections for long-term preservation 💠'Revisiting the Recordings': an appraisal of the Irish Poetry Reading Archive’s audiovisual recordings of poets (with intern Megan Asple). #NTTW9

Irishman and soldier with the French Foreign Legion, Michael MacWhite, writes from the Front #OTD 1916. Transcription below and in ALT text for each image. 1/5

An online lecture series promoting the principles of diversity & inclusion across archival collections and the wider record-keeping community will kick off on Oct 22nd at 1pm. 1st talk will be about Preserving Records in support of Truth Recovery in Northern Ireland @araukie.bsky.social (1 of 2)

New signs to help our users find their way to our shared reading room with UCD Special Collections. We look forward to seeing readers old and new!

Lots of interesting documents from our collections for Kate's talk to the UCD History Society today...

Our deepest condolences to Manchán's family and friends. We have known Manchán for decades and will miss him greatly. His death is a great loss. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

An interesting lecture to attend if you are going to be in London on 20 November.

Help shape the future of UCD Digital Library by taking our 10-minute survey. We are embarking on an important digital transformation programme to improve services & enhance the user experience, & this includes the replacement of the Digital Library. Have your say!🙏 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Our sincere condolences to Martin Mansergh’s family and friends. Martin was a great friend of UCD Archives. We will miss his warm and gracious presence in our reading room. www.rte.ie/news/2025/09... Ex-minister and FF adviser Martin Mansergh dies aged 78

Éamon de Valera gave his inaugural speech as President of the League of Nations #OTD in 1932. He's pictured here in Waterloo Station, London, on his way to Geneva.

A successful and enjoyable day with colleagues from the Quill Project in a lovely sunny Pembroke College, Oxford.

25 Sept 1630: d. General Ambrogio Marquis Spinola #otd who invited the fleeing #Ulster Earls to dine in #Brussels in Nov 1607 to the outrage of #English ambassador William Trumbull. Tadhg Ó Cianáin’s unique account of this event is in @ucdarchives.bsky.social

Another great job in UCD Library...

See also @ucdarchives.bsky.social www.ucd.ie/archives/col... and www.ucd.ie/archives/col....

Need to know some basics about copyright? Take a look at UCD Library's guide for information on all issues related to copyright, including pertinent info for students, teaching staff & researchers. libguides.ucd.ie/copyright @ucdtl.bsky.social @ucdsocscilaw.bsky.social @ucdarchives.bsky.social

The Archiving Conflict and Reconciliation Fund Project Report July 2025 is available to read online. UCDA was a member of the steering committee. We continue to be part of the Writing Peace (www.quillproject.net/m2/research/...) strand of the Quill Project. www.quillproject.net/resource_col...

On 16 Sept 1642 Rosa O'Doherty signed this letter. This is possibly a unique surviving example of a 17thC signature of a #Gaelic Irishwoman. (The letter is now in @ucdarchives.bsky.social as part of the Franciscan collection)

A delayed post from UCDA on the @ucdlibrary.bsky.social Culturql Heritage Blog (thanks COVID). Kate discusses threads in the tapestry of a collection of private papers. ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2025/09/15/t...

Painter Gaetano de Gennaro (1890–1959) lived in Ireland from 1940–c1946. He painted many portraits of well-known Irish people, including soprano Margaret Burke Sheridan (1889–1958). Burke Sheridan to Eamon de Valera (25/6/1944) writes about commissioning Kathleen O’Connell’s portrait. 1/5

Kate wrote about a small collection of letters by Muriel MacSwiney to Margaret Corcoran (née Moriarty), UCDA P339 on the @ucdlibrary.bsky.social Cultural Heritage Blog: ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2022/03/31/p...

Tom Kettle, Professor of National Economics, @ucddublin.bsky.social, was killed at Ginchy on the Somme #OTD 1916. Among his papers in UCD Archives is a letter from J.A. [Cotter] Royal Munster Fusiliers to Mary Kettle, giving an account of Kettle’s death. Transcription ⬇️ www.ucd.ie/archives/col...

University of Galway launches digital archive of Long Kesh journals - an amazing archive of photos and prison journals from inside Long Kesh of the mid 1970s. www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/new...

The second part of the 'Dev: Rise and Rule' documentary is on RTÉ One tomorrow night (9.30pm Wed, 10th), making extensive use of De Valera's papers in @ucdarchives.bsky.social with some filming taking place in the Reading Room and the wider James Joyce Library.

Nice to be back on Merrion Square for the first Irish Manuscripts Commission meeting of the new academic year.

4 Sept 1626: d. Christopher Holywood of #Artane #Dublin, head of the #Jesuit mission in #Ireland #otd He wrote many of the letters that feature in the @irishmanuscripts.bsky.social edition of the #Irish Jesuit Annual Letters 1604-74 (image from @ucdarchives.bsky.social )

You may not be interested in Maelsechlainn Mór. You may even not be interested in the magnificence that is the Annals of the Four Masters, compiled by ridiculously talented Irish Franciscans under challenging conditions. But please don’t tell me you aren’t impressed by work of this scribe 😍

Maelsechlainn Mór, High King of Ireland, died #OTD 1022. Maelseachlainn Mor, son of Domhnall, son of Donnchadh, pillar of the dignity and nobility of the west of the world, died on Cro-inis Locha-Aininn, after having been forty-three years in sovereignty over Ireland...

The references to Sir John Maffey are pregnant with meaning. His title sparked a diplomatic crisis: the UK wouldn't call him minister because it implied Ireland was foreign! The compromise was "UK Representative to Éire". John Betjeman was his press attaché and he was friendly with Paddy Kavanagh

Germany invaded Poland #OTD 1939. Dáil Éireann declared a state of emergency on 2 September. This document lists Eamon de Valera’s daily appointments (as Taoiseach) with Irish officials & foreign representatives from 3 September (when Britain & France declared war on Germany) until the end of 1939.

Now that I have your attention… heres a taste of Wednesday’s Dev documentary… vimeo.com/1114161566?s...

I am grateful to the Women's History Association of Ireland @whaireland.bsky.social for having accepted my book review. It is now available online. History Revolutionary Women of Tipperary (1914-1923) by Noreen Higgins McHugh

Loosehorse has made a two-part series to mark the 50th anniversary of Eamon de Valera's death #OTD 1975. They make extensive use of De Valera's papers in UCDA and some filming took place in our Reading Room and the wider James Joyce Library. DEV: RISE and RULE @rteone.rte.ie 9.30pm Sept 3 and 10

We've made some changes to the Hub 2 social learning space on JJL Level 1. 📖More study space ♿Greater accessibility to the Level 1 lift 📚The Short Loan Collection is now merged with the General Book Collection on Levels 2 & 4 - look for red tape on the book spines! 🔗 www.ucd.ie/library/cont...

The latest #CulturalHeritage blog post, 'Stories through art: The Eviction by Lady Elizabeth Butler' has been published! Written by Claire Dunne, you can read the blog here: buff.ly/sBNHHTH @ucddublin.bsky.social @bealoideasucd.bsky.social @ucdarchives.bsky.social @historyhub.bsky.social

Michael Collins was killed #OTD 1922. This handwritten report from the Adjutant of 1 Southern Division describes the ambush at Béal na Bláth (from the Moss Twomey papers at UCD Archives). "During the journey Mr Collins travelled in the touring car and made himself very prominent." 1/2

19 Aug: feast of St. Louis of Toulouse #otd Born a Prince, lived as a Franciscan, made a bishop. He died in 1297. Here he is from the 14th century UCD-OFM MsB44 now in @ucdarchives.bsky.social . Framed, in the second image, by St. Francis and St. Clare.

15 Aug 1629: The Chapter of #Irish #Franciscans at #Limerick #otd notes that the Poor Clares had settled at #Dublin on 13 June 1629, the feast of St Anthony of Padua (@ucdarchives.bsky.social B44)

The India ruled over by the British Empire was partitioned into India and Pakistan (East Pakistan later became Bangladesh) #OTD 1947. The photo below shows Eamon de Valera, Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten in New Delhi during de Valera's 1948 world-wide anti-partition campaign.