The James Hardiman Library ( ga, Leabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin) serves the
University of Galway in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It is a
legal deposit or "copyright library", which means that publishers in the country must deposit a copy of all their publications there, free of charge. The James Hardiman Library is home to an extensive range of cultural artefacts, particularly relating to the history of theatre. This includes the largest digital theatre archive in the world, a joint project with
The Abbey, Ireland's national theatre, to preserve material that institution has compiled since its foundation. Other theatre archives found at the James Hardiman Library include those of the
Gate Theatre,
An Taibhdhearc
An Taibhdhearc is the national Irish language theatre of Ireland. It was founded in 1928.
The word ''taibhdhearc'' appears as a gloss for the Latin ''teatrum'' (theatre) in an old Irish document, derived from roots meaning "dream" and "glance ...
(the national Irish language theatre), the Lyric Theatre and the
Druid Theatre Company (Ireland's first professional theatre company established outside Dublin). In addition, manuscripts collected by
Douglas Hyde, the first
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
, are deposited at the James Hardiman Library, as is a manuscript personally donated by
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
in 1932.
"Access to Research at NUI Galway" (ARAN) is the university's repository of research publications, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers and conference papers by the university's researchers, and is maintained by the James Hardiman Library.
Location
The James Hardiman Library is situated centrally, close to the Concourse, the Arts Millennium Building and Áras na Gaeilge.
History
The Library is named in honour of
James Hardiman
James Hardiman (1782–1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway.
Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1820) and '' Irish Minstrelsy'' (1831), one of the f ...
who was the University's first Librarian.
Legal deposit library status
According to the Ireland's ''Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000'', the James Hardiman Library is entitled, along with the
National Library of Ireland, the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
and
Trinity College Library, as well as libraries at
UCC The initialism UCC may stand for:
Law
* Uniform civil code of India, referring to proposed Civil code in the legal system of India, which would apply equally to all irrespective of their religion
* Uniform Commercial Code, a 1952 uniform act to h ...
,
UCD,
MU,
UL, and
DCU, to receive a copy of all works published in the Republic of Ireland. Section 198(1) of the Act states "the publisher of any book published in the state, shall, within one month after publication, deliver, at his or her own expense, a copy of the book to each of the following…", then lists the libraries concerned.
Archives
The James Hardiman Library houses more than three hundred archival collections which range from the fifteenth century onwards.
Numerous archives relating to literature, theatre and other items of cultural merit to be found there include the following:
History
*A collection of books about the
Williamite Wars (1689-91) in Ireland and its aftermath, donated by the son of a graduate of the University
[
]
Literature
* Douglas Hyde's manuscript collections of poetry and folklore he gathered[
*An original edition of '']Pomes Penyeach
''Pomes Penyeach'' is a collection of thirteen short poems written by James Joyce.
Overview
''Pomes Penyeach'' was written over a 20-year period, from 1904 to 1924, and originally published on 7 July 1927 by Shakespeare and Company, for the pric ...
'', personally donated by James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
in 1932 after its publication in Paris, and printed on rare Japanese paper complete with illustrations by the writer's daughter Lucia Lucia may refer to:
Arts and culture
* ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás
* ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film
* '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA''
* "Lucia", a Swedish c ...
.
*The John McGahern Archive ( John McGahern)[
*The Thomas Kilroy Collection (]Thomas Kilroy
Thomas F. Kilroy (born 23 September 1934) is an Irish playwright and novelist.
He was born in Green Street, Callan, County Kilkenny. He attended St Kieran's College and played hurling for the school team, captaining the senior team in 1952. He ...
): Available from August 2011, this archive includes Kilroy's academic criticism, papers relating to his board membership of The Field Day Theatre Company and his collaboration with The Abbey Theatre, as well as notes, drafts, scripts, and production material relating to all of Kilroy's plays. Correspondence featured includes from the Seamuses: Deane and Heaney; Mary Lavin, John McGahern, various agents, publishers, theatre practitioners and the general public. On 22 March 2011, a public interview with Kilroy, moderated by Professor Adrian Frazier (with an introduction by Doctor Lionel Pilkington), was held at the University of Galway to mark the donation; amongst those in attendance were Brian Friel
Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...
and Michael D. Higgins.
*Máirtín Ó Direáin
Máirtín Ó Direáin (; 29 November 1910 – 19 March 1988) was an Irish poet from the Aran Islands Gaeltacht. Along with Seán Ó Ríordáin and Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Ó Direáin was, in the words of Louis de Paor, "one of a trinity of poets ...
Eoghan Ó Tuairisc
Eoghan Ó Tuairisc (''Eugene Rutherford Watters'') (3 April 1919 – 24 August 1982) was an Irish poet and writer.
Life
Eugene Rutherford Watters was born at Dunlo Hill, Ballinasloe, County Galway, to Thomas Watters, a soldier, and his wife, Ma ...
[
]
Theatre
*The Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe Archive (Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe
An Taibhdhearc is the national Irish language theatre of Ireland. It was founded in 1928.
The word ''taibhdhearc'' appears as a gloss for the Latin ''teatrum'' (theatre) in an old Irish document, derived from roots meaning "dream" and "glance ...
)[
*The Druid Theatre Archive ( Druid Theatre Company)][
*The Lyric Theatre, Belfast Archive][
*The Siobhán McKenna Archive ( Siobhán McKenna)][
*In 2012, the ]Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...
and NUI Galway formed a partnership to digitise the Abbey Theatre archive, billed as the largest digital theatre archive in the world.
*In 2016, digitisation of the Gate Theatre archives commenced.
*The John Arden and Margaretta D'Arcy Archive (John Arden
John Arden (26 October 1930 – 28 March 2012) was an English playwright who at his death was lauded as "one of the most significant British playwrights of the late 1950s and early 60s".
Career
Born in Barnsley, son of the manager of a glass f ...
and Margaretta D'Arcy) launched on 24 November 2017.
Screen
*The John Huston Archive (John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...
)
Other
*The Galway Arts Festival Archive (Galway Arts Festival
The Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF), founded in 1978, is a cultural organization that produces an annual arts festival in Galway, Ireland. It also produces new work that tours nationally and internationally, in addition to presenting ...
)[
*The Brendan Duddy Archive (]Brendan Duddy
Brendan Duddy (10 June 1936 – 12 May 2017) was a businessman from Derry, Northern Ireland, who played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process. A notable Catholic republican, who was a pacifist and firm believer in dialogue, Duddy beca ...
), papers deposited in 2009, unveiled at a symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...
in November 2011 attended by Michael Oatley
Michael Oatley (born 1935) is a former Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) officer, involved in the resolution of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He directed MI6 operations in the Middle East, 1984–88, and in Europe, 1988–91. He was respo ...
and Seán Ó hUigínn
*In 2014 the Kevin Boyle (lawyer) archive was added for the study of human rights.
Constituent buildings
According to an internal newsletter from February 2009, the James Hardiman Library at that time spanned four floors and housed 424,843 books and 1,645 study spaces.
The new Nursing & Midwifery Library opened in June 2009. It spans three floors and can be accessed via the James Hardiman Library.
References
External links
James Hardiman Library
Search the Library's catalogue
Collections
at the University of Galway
Theatre Archives
at the University of Galway
{{Authority control
Academic libraries in Ireland
Buildings and structures of the University of Galway
Deposit libraries
Libraries in the Republic of Ireland