Dr Jason McElligott, Director of Marsh’s Library

Dr Máire Kennedy and Dr Jason McElligott introduce us to institutional and private libraries in early modern Ireland. This is the first event in a three-part series on early modern book collections presented by the Historical Studies Committee and the Library of the Royal Irish Academy

In April / May 2024, The Royal Irish Academy Library and Historical Studies Committee were delighted to present a three-part lunchtime lecture series on the topic of Early Modern book collections. At each lecture, experts from the field of print culture and book collecting elaborated on the subjects of Early Modern libraries, private collections and caring for Early Modern collections in the 21st century.

Wednesday 24 April: Institutional and private libraries in Early Modern Ireland.
Chair: Dr Richard Kirwan, University of Limerick.

- 'Curious collections of scarce and valuable books': eighteenth-century Irish private libraries.
Dr Máire Kennedy, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Early Modern History, Trinity College Dublin.
- 'Cold, draughty, and unwelcoming?': the institutional libraries of Early Modern Ireland.
Dr Jason McElligott, Director of Marsh’s Library.


Wednesday 08 May: Early Modern book collections in the 21st century.
Chair: Barbara McCormack, Academy Librarian, Royal Irish Academy.

- The Bolton Library: reconsidering an Early Modern book collection in the 21st century.
Olivia Lardner, Cataloguer of the Bolton Library, University of Limerick.
- Well read and well-travelled: the Franciscan book collection at UCD Special Collections.
Eugene Roche, Assistant Librarian, UCD Special Collections.
The St. Canice's Library: past, present and future.
- Alexandra Caccamo, Assistant Librarian with responsibility for Special Collections and Archives, Maynooth University Library.


Wednesday 15 May: Reading and collecting books in Early Modern Ireland and Europe.
Chair: Prof Sandy Wilkinson, University College Dublin.

- Factors affecting book collecting in Early Modern Ireland and Europe.
Dr Elizabethanne Boran, Librarian, Edward Worth Library.
- Reading books: here, there and then.
Prof Brendan Dooley, Professor of Renaissance Studies, University College Cork.