The HardiBlog

The Library has acquired access to a new primary source archival database: Political Extremism and Radicalism .   This resource provides insight on US and European  fringe groups from both the right and left of the political spectrum through rare, hard to access primary sources. Content supports research on philosophical, social, political and economic ideologies as well as on contemporary issues surrounding gender, sexuality, race, religion, civil rights, universal suffrage, and more. Political Extremism and Radicalism consists of two collections: Political Extremism and Radicalism: Far-Right and Left Political Groups in the U.S., Europe, and Australia in the Twentieth Century Political Extremism and Radicalism: Far-Right Groups in America  Learn more about  each of these individual collections . Highlights include: The National Archives (UK) provides access to digitised home office and secret service documents concerning British communist and fascist movement...

  Last week marked an exciting reunion for the special collections team. Our copy of An Tiomna Nuadh , the 1602 Irish translation of The New Testament, returned to us after undergoing extensive restoration and repair at the Muckross Bookbindery in Killarney. An Tiomna Nuadh was donated to the library on 12 th of July 2019 by the Ó Dálaigh family from Athlone. To mark the significance of the donation of such a rare and old book, the library held an event attended by the Ó Dálaigh family (pictured below). Local Librarian, Rory Ó hAodha spoke at the event about Uilleam Ó Domhnaill’s role in publishing the book. The Ó Dálaigh family with Rory Ó hAodha (speaker at the event), 2019 Eileen Ó Dálaigh Fahey, with John Cox, then University Librarian The book arrived here in very poor condition. With pages coming apart and others damaged by bookworm, it was entrusted to the care of Paul Curtis in the Muckross Bindery and Paper Conservation Workshop, where it remained for five years. While...

Geraldine Curtin is a Library Assistant working in our Archives and Special Collections department in the Library at University of Galway.   Geraldine has just published her second book, Young Offenders: Children and crime in Ireland, 1850–1908.   In advance of the launch of her book I sat down with Geraldine to discuss the story behind its creation and our discussion began with a simple but important question as to what inspired her to write this book. In 1998 Geraldine visited the National Archives and through conversation with an archivist she learned the National Archives held the prison registers for every jail in Ireland for the 19 th century.   The archivist showed her the prison register for Galway jail, and the contents immediately sparked her curiosity, particularly the large number of women and children listed in this register.   She decided to base her Master’s thesis on the women imprisoned in Galway in the 19 th century and later she pursued a PhD f...

By joining global movements to reform research assessment, protect access to information, and accelerate the transition to open publishing, the University of Galway is contributing to a more equitable, sustainable publishing ecosystem. The University of Galway joined the  Irish National Chapter  of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment,  CoARA , in 2024. The four core commitments of CoARA are as follows:   Recognise diverse contributions to research   Base research assessment primarily on qualitative evaluation   Abandon inappropriate uses of journal- and metric-based evaluation   Avoid the use of rankings of research organisations in research assessment     The National Chapter provides a platform for Irish members of CoARA to exchange knowledge and mutual learning on issues that are specific to Ireland, such as peer review processes, revision of promotion criteria, adoption of DORA and/or other statements on the responsible use of...

The Library has acquired perpetual access to the Literary Manuscripts Leeds Collection , a digitised resource published  by Adam Matthews.  This resource offers literary scholars the opportunity to examine manuscripts of 17th and 18th century verse held in the celebrated Brotherton Collection at the University of Leeds. Alongside original compositions are copied verses, translations, songs and riddles. The collections consists of an assortment of manuscripts, some entirely dedicated to poetry, while others contain medicinal recipes, household accounts, draft letters, musical scores and plays. There are also several printed works, with handwritten verse additions. The manuscripts range from contemporary copies of poems by writers like Colvil, Dryden, Fairfax and Pope to popular tags and epitaphs.  Many of the manuscripts are miscellanies and commonplace books which have never previously been indexed.  Full listings of the manuscripts, manuscript types, authors, first ...

The Library has acquired perpetual access to the Age of Exploration , a significant digitised collection of sources detailing the expansion of European colonialism over five centuries.  Drawn from over twelve archives, this collection includes documents relating to major events in European maritime history from the voyages of James Cook to the search for John Franklin’s doomed mission to the Northwest Passage.  It contains a host of additional features for teaching, such as an interactive map which presents an in-depth visualisation of over 50 of these influential voyages. Examples of resources:.  Audio and Video material  Rare manuscripts and early printed material Richly illustrated maps and visual content Correspondence, Journals and Personal Accounts Teaching Tools Key themes covered: Expedition Planning, Financing & Sponsorship   Ships & Provisions New Commodities & Trade New Territories Ports, Forts & Entrepôts Competition Life at Sea Indig...

The Library has acquired perpetual access to the First World Portal , produced by Adam Matthews, a superb primary source archive of digitised World War One materials. Using extensive sources from personal collections and rare printed material to military files, ephemera and artwork, the First World War Portal highlights the experiences of soldiers, civilians and governments on both sides of the conflict and in multiple theatres of war. The resource showcases intimate personal narratives, wartime propaganda and recruitment material, the truly global reach of the conflict, and the role of women in war through various documentary and visual forms. The Archives consists of four modules: Module I: Personal experiences Module II: Propaganda and recruitment  Module III: Visual perspectives and narratives Module IV: A Global Conflict Highlights include: Personal narratives and trench journals Papers of the British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops serving on various fronts An ext...

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, t he  visit of the  Gale Primary Sources/Dissertation Roadshow scheduled for Tues 18th November has been cancelled.  The event will be rescheduled for semester II. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Collection Development ___________________________________________________________________________   The   Gale Primary Sources/Dissertation Roadshow   will be visiting on   Tuesday 18th November from 09:30 - 13:00   in  the  Hardiman Research Building Foyer  (Library entrance).   Experts from Gale publishing will provide one-to-one content advice and assistance for any of Gale's primary source collections that the Library subscribes to.  Students, researchers and academic staff are welcome to drop by anytime. The roadshow is a fantastic opportunity to have an informal chat with product experts who will explain the breadth of primary source content available for your ...

The Library has acquired perpetual access to Women's Studies Archive: Issues and Identities. This collection traces the path of women's issues from past to present—pulling primary sources from manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, and more. It captures the foundation of women's movements, struggles, and triumphs, providing researchers with valuable insights, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century.  Women's Studies Archive: Issues and Identities covers a variety of topics   including: the history of feminist theory and activism domestic culture lay and ordained church women women in industry women’s sexuality and gender expression women’s education women’s movements women’s health and mental health women and law women and the control of their bodies women’s roles and interactions within society This collection contains content from sources like The New York Public Library, The National Wo...

The Library is pleased to announce the acquisition of the two-part ' Refugees, Relief and Resettlement ' primary sources collection from Gale.  It brings together 900,000 digitised pages that recount the causes, effects and responses to refugee crises before, during and shortly after World War II. It uses a range of sources including legal briefs, refugee reports, pamphlets and letters.  Refugees, Relief and Resettlement ' comprises of two collections addressing the refugee crises across different periods. 1.  Forced Migration and World War II  The archive contains 590,000-plus pages of pamphlets, ephemera, government documents, relief organization publications, and refugee reports spanning 1935 to 1950.   The database draws on six major collections from the UK National Archives, the British Library, the U.S. National Archives, and the World Jewish Relief.  It details  the refugee experience from within Europe, also including Burma, the Middl...

  Exhibition - Máirtín Ó Cadhain: Life and Work Dr. Chris McCann The 3rd of October 2025 saw the launch of a new bilingual exhibition, Máirtín Ó Cadhain: Life and Work, in the Hardiman Research Building exhibition space. Máirtí Ó Cadhain (1906-1970) was a giant of Irish-language culture, and the exhibition tells his story by weaving together the many strands of his highly accomplished life. Dr. Chris McCann of Roinn na Gaeilge curated the exhibition with the support of Research Ireland, Iontaobhas Uí Chadhain, and members of the Special Collections team. Amongst other artefacts, it includes Ó Cadhain’s personal possessions and material from the University of Galway archives. Artworks made specially by the artist and poet Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha enhance the exhibition’s storytelling aspect. Here is a selection of the most noteworthy items on display: Portrait The exhibition begins in An Cnocán Glas, Ó Cadhain’s birthplace, with a powerful new portrait by the artist Seán Ó Flaith...