24 December 1915. Christmas card from Mabel FitzGerald to her husband Desmond in Mountjoy prison. Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Christmas card from Eimhir Ni Uadall (Emily Weddall) to Eamon de Valera, December 1916. The card is beautifully drawn and painted, presumably by Ni Uadall. A member of Cumann na mBan, she is buried beside the republican plot at Glasnevin.

Sample Christmas card from the first venture of publisher An Clóchomhar Tta, from the Papers of Seosamh Ó Duibhginn.

The UCDA reading room service is now finished for the Christmas holiday period. It will resume on Monday 5 January 2026. We wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Sample Christmas card from the first venture of Irish language publisher An Clóchomhar Tta, from the Papers of Seosamh Ó Duibhginn.

Christmas card from the first venture of Irish language publishing house An Clóchomhar Tta.

I love this Christmas Card 💚 The tower with the tricolour flying from it is actually the Record Tower. However, because it housed the state papers previously held in the Bermingham Tower for 300-odd years (until about 1813, when they moved), its name was regularly confused. #History #Heritage

Christmas card sent by Chief Justice Hugh and Mrs Clare Kennedy. Drawing by George Monks, depicting a scribe at work, with Dublin Castle, the Bermingham Tower (with tricolour) and the Chapel Royal in the background, [1924].

This document is an example of making the best of a challenging Christmas! Menu for Christmas Day 1918 from the ‘Royal Hotel Lincoln’ (Lincoln Jail) written on blue prison paper. Signed by Eamon de Valera and sixteen other prisoners. 1/2

Our Document of the Month is a letter to Timothy Smiddy regarding a parcel of four pheasants sent as a Christmas present from King George V, 18 December 1930. The letter is signed by W. Hynes, Secretary to the High Commissioner. www.ucd.ie/archives/col...

Nodlaig shona duit...☃️In the latest UCD #CulturalHeritage blog post Archivist Kate Manning, @ucdarchives.bsky.social, takes us through a gallery of Christmas cards received by Éamon de Valera during his imprisonment in 1916 in Lewes, England. ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2025/12/04/n...

1/3 Ar 21 Samhain, d’fhógair an tAire Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail agus Gaeltachta @deptrcdg.bsky.social, Dara Calleary, go bhfuil deontas ceadaithe suas le €4m thar thréimhse 2026-2029 aige do Gaois @gaois.bsky.social - an grúpa taighde de chuid @fsg-dcu.bsky.social

UCD Library is very pleased to see that @iua-official.bsky.social has signed this 'Statement on the Four Digital Rights of Memory Institutions'. @ucddublin.bsky.social @ucdarchives.bsky.social @ucddigitallibrary.bsky.social @bealoideasucd.bsky.social

Robert Erskine Childers was executed #OTD 1922. Letter from Molly Childers to Eamon de Valera following her husband’s execution that morning beginning “Erskine was executed this morning at 7 o’clock.”

See also this article: Bloody Sunday Revisited And a longer form look the the day's events here www.theirishstory.com/2020/11/21/b...

#BloodySunday took place #OTD 1920. Between 1948 and 1954, Ernie O'Malley interviewed c.400 of his revolutionary colleagues, some of them IRA men who were involved in the killings of the British intelligence officers that day. Here Matty MacDonald describes the killing of Captain G.T. Baggally. 1/2

I was very proud to introduce the role of records and archives as active agents for #TransitionalJustice at the 4th International #CulturalPropertyProtection course at the UN Training School Ireland. The paper's main case study was #Syria and the records exposing the brutality of the Assad regime.

18 Nov 1657: d. Luke Wadding of #Waterford - allegedly only #Irish man to get votes in Papal election, brilliant #Franciscan theologian, got St Patrick's Day made a universal feast, founder of two #Irish colleges in #Rome Many of his papers are in @ucdarchives.bsky.social

Audrey (Digital Library), Elizabeth (MAARM, UCD School of History), Evelyn (Director Cultural Heritage), Jonny (NFC), Kate (UCDA) & Lorraine (Special Collections) introduced our work to colleagues from Innlandet County Archives, Norway & showed off highlights from our collections. Great afternoon!

Getting ready to speak about our collections with our colleagues from UCD Special Collections and the National Folklore Collection to visitors from Norway.

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...