The HardiBlog

Irish artist Domino Whisker is exhibiting a new body of work inspired by Irish emigrant letters selected from the Kerby A. Miller Collection, made available online through the  Imirce digital repository .  Remember Me By , hosted by Dan Yoshii in New York City, is an exhibition that explores the strong bonds between Ireland and the United States (with a special focus on New York) forged by centuries of migration west across the Atlantic. The exhibition also delves into the lingering, universal preoccupations of emigrants across multiple generations, touching on the themes of homesickness, identity, displacement and belonging. Drawing on her own experience as an emigrant to the USA, Whisker found the Imirce collection by chance while seeking Irish emigrant stories online as inspiration for her pieces.  The resulting work weaves words and images together to evoke the profound emotional terrain that is traversed by not only the Irish diaspora, but also shared with other...

The Library has acquired a number of e-books that address many of the themes, aims and opportunities of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. Topics covered include: affordable and clean energy climate action responsible consumption the protection of life on land and sea  the use of technology and social action academic responses For ease of access we have created a reading list of these acquired titles.  If there are additional related UN SDG titles that you believe to be of value to the Library's collections we welcome suggestions via use the Library's  Book Suggestion Form .                                Collection Development

      1 July marked the 130th anniversary of a train running from Galway all the way to Clifden. The line was 48 miles long and served seven stations along the way. Its construction was funded by the British administration in Ireland, championed by the Chief Secretary of the day, Arthur Balfour. When he visited Galway and Connemara in 1896, he was presented with an album of photographs of the area taken by the Belfast photographer, Robert J. Welch. Since 1987, this album has been part of the Library's Special Collections when it was acquired from the Balfour family. It now forms part of our  Digital Archive .  Sadly, the railway was often in financial difficulties and finally closed just 40 years later, in April 1935.  The Library's Special Collections is home to maps, railway history items and a selection of tourist guides which incorporate using the “new” railway to see Connemara's sights. Also included is Oughterard photographer, Lorraine Tuck's 201...

The Imirce project will be featured in the latest season of The History Show with Myles Dungan for RTÉ. The forthcoming episode features a panel of interviews discussing the work of historian Kerby A. Miller and the Imirce digital project that aims to preserve and make available the stories of Irish emigrants who went to North America. Dating across multiple centuries (ca. 1680 to 1990), the collected letters and life stories published to Imirce showcase the Irish emigrants’ place in the formative history of the United States and Canada, and the societal ripple effects of emigration for the Irish who remained. The interviewees include Dan Carey (Professor of English), Marie-Louise Rouget (Digital Archivist and Imirce Project Manager), Helen Hayes Sweeney (History PhD candidate) and Breandán Mac Suibhne (Professor of Modern Irish History) from the University of Galway. The Imirce episode will be released on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday 7 September at 6pm. Following the initial broadcast...