National Library of Ireland Annual Report 2013

National Library of Ireland

Annual Report 2013

Report of the Board of the National Library of Ireland for the year ended 31 December 2013

To the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht pursuant to Section 36 of the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997

Published by National Library of Ireland, Dublin

ISSN 2009-5813 (digital)

National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Ireland Telephone: +353 1 603 0200 Fax: +353 1 676 6690 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nli.ie

Table of Contents

1.0 About the NLI 4

2.0 Chairman’s Foreword 5

3.0 Acting Director’s Introduction 6

4.0 Overview of Key Areas of Work 2013 8

4.1 Visitor Numbers 9

4.2 Collections 11

4.3 Exhibitions 15

4.4 Events and Outreach 22

5.0 The NLI’s Work with External Partners 25 6.0 Resources 27

7.0 Supporting the NLI 28 8.0 Board Member Attendance 29 9.0 Donors 2013 31

About the NLI

The National Library of Ireland (NLI), located on Dublin’s Kildare Street beside the Houses of the Oireachtas, was founded in 1877. It collects and makes available the shared memory of the Irish nation at home and abroad, caring for more than 10 million items, including books, newspapers, manuscripts, prints, drawings, ephemera, photographs and, increasingly, digital media.

From 14th century Gaelic manuscripts to 21st century websites, from the papers of Yeats and Joyce to the works of contemporary Irish writers, the NLI is the repository of Ireland’s national written heritage. It is also the guardian of personal histories in the form of vast archives of letters, photographs and diaries, and family history sources such as the Roman Catholic parish registers.

The Office of the Chief Herald and the National Photographic Archive are also part of the National Library.

Every year, the NLI welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to its magnificent reading rooms, its ground- breaking exhibition on WB Yeats, its programmes for families and lifelong learners and its free genealogy advice service. Increasingly, its magnificent collections are being made available online to people worldwide, and the NLI has an award-winning presence on Twitter, Facebook and the Flickr Commons.

Further information about the NLI is available at www.nli.ie.

Chairman’s Foreword

In presenting this inaugural annual review of the activities of the National Library of Ireland in 2013, I am conscious of the many changes that have occurred in the library and heritage world in the past few decades, and indeed of the changes that are to come.

In this second decade of the 21st century, the National Library of Ireland finds itself operating in a transitional context where technology has radically transformed the creation and distribution of knowledge, but where the traditional means of knowledge distribution, mostly paper based, still flourish. The NLI must find ways of acquiring and preserving both traditional print and manuscript media as well as digital media. It must fulfil its duty to the public which owns and pays for it, and contribute to the cultural and economic life of the nation, by making its collections as accessible as possible in its reading rooms and exhibitions. It must also make its collections available online to the world at large via its website and online partners and portals. And above all it must continue to collect and evolve to meet the demands of new generations.

In this context I am happy to note that visitor numbers, both to the Library’s premises in Kildare Street and Temple Bar, and to its website grew substantially, which bears out the high level of public interest in the services and exhibitions on offer from the Library.

I am pleased to note that the NLI became the first Irish cultural heritage body to engage in a partnership with the Google Cultural Institute to show three online photographic exhibitions on the Institute’s portal. This partnership was possible because of the substantial work that has been carried out by the Library on digitising the collections in its care. I am looking forward to a substantial ingest of digitised visual Decade of Commemoration materials to the NLI’s own digital repository in the coming years.

As Chairman of the Board of the Library I have become very aware of the huge challenges it faces, in terms of meeting the needs of the digital information age, and of the considerable potential of its collections to enrich the cultural, social, economic and educational life of Ireland. I am therefore concerned to note the resource difficulties outlined by the Acting Director. The last five years have, of course, been difficult for everyone in Ireland, not least for cultural institutions. The country is now emerging from recession, and I am hopeful that increased levels of funding will be made available to support the crucial work done by the NLI in collecting, preserving and providing access to Ireland’s written heritage.

Finally, on behalf of the Board and myself I would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by Ms Fiona Ross in her four years as Director of the National Library. Fiona took on the Directorship of the Library in 2010, and was an inspirational leader in a period of severe cutbacks in both staff and finances. We wish her every success in her future career. I would like also to thank the staff who worked with Fiona for all their efforts and dedication during her term which resulted in the achievements outlined below.

David Harvey Chairman NLI

Acting Director’s Introduction

2013 was a busy year in the National Library of Ireland.

We had over a quarter of a million visitors through our doors, representing a 42 per cent increase on the previous year, and an 85 per cent increase since 2009. Online visitor numbers continued to grow, with 7.3 million interactions across our website and Flickr Commons profile, and 20,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Throughout 2013, we continued to grow our collections: 5,800 books were bought or received under legal deposit, including both rare items and newly published material. Sixty collections of manuscripts, prints and drawings, and photographs were purchased, and 281 collections were donated.

Notable highlights of our work on collecting included the donation by renowned cartoonist Martyn Turner of approximately 900 cartoons to the NLI; and the acquisition of the Haberer Heaney Collection and the Fishamble Theatre archive. We completed our work on cataloguing both the Udolphus Wright (Abbey Theatre) collection, which we had purchased in 2002, and the John Devoy papers.

Of course, in addition to visiting our magnificent Reading Room and accessing our collections, many people come to the NLI for our ongoing programmes of exhibitions and events. Ten major exhibitions were staged during 2013, attracting 170,840 visitors. We were honoured to host Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy – and her family – for the opening of the ‘JFK: Homecoming’ exhibition, which was a huge success. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, officiated at a number of our events during the year, while many wonderful authors, artists, historians and genealogists participated.

Our outreach work continued apace during 2013. We were actively involved in The Gathering and – once again – ran a very popular programme of activities for Culture Night. Our Poetry Aloud competition – through which we work with post-primary schools throughout Ireland – enjoyed continued success, with over 1,500 students competing last year.

Despite these many achievements, however, 2013 was a difficult time for the NLI. Since 2008, we have suffered from year-on-year funding cutbacks, and we now receive 44 per cent less funding than we did five years ago. Coupled with decreasing numbers of staff and increasing demand for our services, this means we are being squeezed from all sides.

While we are delighted to have ever higher numbers of visitors to the NLI, we have fewer and fewer resources with which to serve them. Our full-time staff numbers have decreased by 23 per cent since 2008, and we now find ourselves in the unpleasant situation of assessing whether it will be possible to maintain certain services.

The financial and political uncertainties of recent years have taken their toll on the day-to-day work of the NLI. A particular challenge for us is the outdated and inadequate storage conditions in which the Library’s collections are housed. We do not have the resources to move our precious collections into 21st century, secure, waterproof, fireproof and environmentally appropriate buildings off-site. As a result, much of the NLI’s landmark, city-centre space is taken up with storing collections, when it could be opened up to provide more and better public amenities.

Another challenge we face is that our ‘purchase power’ – for acquiring new items to add to our collections – has plummeted from where it was in the past. This means we can no longer afford to buy many of the important written heritage items that come up for sale, and they are going elsewhere.

As a result of the Government’s ongoing programme of public sector reform, it is proposed that a new governance model will be applied to the NLI and the National Museum of Ireland, whereby statutory advisory

councils will operate pro bono in place of our existing boards. The timeline for implementing these changes to our governance model is not yet clear.

However we must remain optimistic and hope that increased funding will be made available to us, especially in the context of the Decade of Commemorations which we have now entered. The Commemorations provide an opportunity for the NLI to showcase many of the most fascinating items from our collections, including letters, photographs, ephemera and written materials relating to World War One, the 1916 Rising, Ireland’s struggle for independence, and the ensuing Civil War. We look forward to playing a full and active role in the Decade of Commemorations, and to continuing to increase our visitor numbers and activity levels throughout the years to come.

Catherine Fahy Acting Director NLI

Overview of Key Areas of Work 2013

Visitor Numbers

Visitors to the NLI – Physical Sites and Events / Activities

The total number of visits to the NLI recorded during 2013 was 257,051, representing a 42 per cent increase over the previous year, and an 85 per cent increase since 2009. Of these, just over a third (89,476) were research visits, i.e. to the NLI’s main Reading Room, Manuscripts Reading Room, Prints & Drawings Department or Family History Room.

The most frequently visited site within the NLI was the National Photographic Archive (66,115 visits – a 12 per cent increase on 2012 figures), followed by the Family History Room (62,863 visits) and the NLI’s exhibition on the life and work of WB Yeats (57,659 visits).

The table below summarises numbers of visits to different sites and activities within the NLI for 2012 and 2013.

Visits to the NLI, 2013 v. 2012 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0

2013 2012

* The significant percentage increase in visitor numbers to the NLI’s Family History Room between 2012 and 2013 was due to the introduction of people counters in 2013 to measure visitor numbers to that space. Previously, only a sign-in book had been used, which – it transpired – had been undercounting visitor numbers by a factor of 10.

Month-by-Month Visitor Numbers The busiest month for visits to the NLI last year was July, when we had 33,590 visits to our premises. This was followed by September (31,558 visits) and August (29,050 visits). The quietest month was January, when there were 10,599 visits to the NLI.

Month-by-Month Visitor Numbers, 2013 40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Online Visitors In addition to visitors to its physical sites, events and activities, the NLI places significant emphasis on attracting visitors and followers to its online profiles. The NLI operates a website, www.nli.ie, as well as three key social media profiles:

1. Flickr Commons: www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/ NOTE: The Commons Flickr photostream shares the NLI’s publicly held collections of photographs online, and aims to enrich these collections with input from users not only in Ireland, but all over the world. 2. Facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalLibraryofIreland 3. Twitter: www.twitter.com/nlireland

The NLI attracted almost 7.3 million interactions across its website and Flickr Commons profiles last year, with 874,894 unique visits to the website and 6,418,582 views of the NLI’s profile on Flickr Commons.

At the end of the year, the NLI had 9,844 Facebook followers and 10,131 followers on Twitter.

The numbers of online visitors and followers increased across all social media platforms between 2012 and 2013, with the biggest increase observed in the numbers of views on the Flickr Commons profile (243 per cent increase). The number of Facebook followers increased by 53 per cent, while the number of Twitter followers increased by 81 per cent. Visits to the NLI website decreased slightly (by two per cent) between 2012 and 2013. However, between 2009 and 2013, the number of visitors to the NLI website increased by 169 per cent.

Website and Social Media Visitors / Followers, 2013 v. 2012

2013 2012 % Difference Website 874,894 890,936 -2% Flickr Commons Views 6,418,582 1,871,577 243% Facebook Followers 9,844 6,419 53% Twitter Followers 10,131 5,591 81%

Collecting

Every year, the NLI collects a wide range of materials that tell the story of Ireland, ranging from books and newspapers to photographs and websites. Many printed items are acquired under legal deposit, whereby a copy of any item published in the Republic of Ireland must be deposited by the publisher with the NLI. All other collections and items are either purchased or generously donated.

In 2013, the NLI bought or received under legal deposit 5,800 books, including both rare items and newly published material. Manuscripts, including prints, drawings and photographs were purchased and acquired by donation.

Requests are regularly received to borrow items from NLI collections for exhibitions. Six loan applications were granted in 2013.

Further details of the NLI’s work on different categories of collections are included in the following sections.

Books, Newspapers and Periodicals During 2013, NLI sent legal deposit claims for 4013 publications to Irish publishers. This resulted in the receipt of 3,550 books under legal deposit, with 463 claims outstanding at the end of the year. 1,840 books relating to Ireland were purchased, and 164 donations were received.

5,788 new and antiquarian books were catalogued during the year. Every issue of 246 current newspaper titles, including all national and provincial papers, was collected. This amounted to 7069 individual newspapers in total. 3460 periodicals were also collected.

Manuscripts, Prints and Drawings, Ephemera and Photographs There were twenty donations of material to the manuscripts collections in 2013, and 31 purchases. 10,999 catalogue records for manuscript material was created during the year.

Thirty-five donations to the Prints and Drawings collections were recorded, along with 15 purchases. A total of 3,560 catalogue records was created. There were 49 ephemera donations (including collections and items such as posters, leaflets and programmes) and 13 purchases. 3,577 items of ephemera were catalogued. One collection of photographs was purchased, and there were 13 donations of material to the photographic collections.

Part of the budget for 2013 was allocated to cataloguing projects related to core collections, including major collections of Irish portraits and letters, and the correspondence of John Devoy, all of which will be digitised by the end of 2014.

Conservation The Conservation staff continued their ongoing work across the NLI’s extensive collections, monitoring environmental conditions, rehousing and carrying out remedial work on a range of items, and providing collection care training and advice for staff.

They prepared display items for the Dublin Lockout exhibition, assessed and advised on all items requested for loan, and carried out conservation and assessment of material selected for digitisation projects, including rare and

Conservation work: Before Conservation work: After 11

valuable Irish portraits and fragile glass slides.

Collecting and Cataloguing Highlights During 2013, the NLI made a number of notable accessions, and achieved progress in cataloguing collections that had been acquired in previous years. Particular highlights included:

 The acquisition of the Fishamble Theatre Archive. In December 2013, Fishamble: The New Play Company marked the 25th anniversary of its foundation with the donation of its archives to the NLI. The archives materials feature some of the 131 plays produced by the theatre company since 1988, ranging from work by Sebastian Barry, Maeve Binchy, Colum McCann and Joseph O’Connor to work by unknown (at the time) writers, whose first plays were produced by Fishamble, including Mark O’Rowe, Stella Feehily and Michael West. The award-winning author and playwright Sebastian Barry was the guest of honour at a special Pictured (l-r): Fiona Ross, former Director NLI; Jim Culleton, Artistic event in the NLI marking the donation, Director, Fishamble; Marketa Dowling, General Manager/Producer, and work is currently underway to Fishamble; Gavin Kostick, Literary Manager, Fishamble. catalogue the archive.

 The acquisition of the Haberer Heaney Collection, which contains correspondence between Professor Adolphe Haberer of the University of Lyon 2 and the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, dating from 1992, when they first met at a conference on Irish literature in Caen, France.

Their letters and cards to each other touch on scholarly, literary and social matters, and shed light on Heaney’s busy schedule of public appearances and publishing workload. Collection highlights include photographs of Heaney, signed editions of his verse, which he presented to Haberer; and Haberer’s personal recollections of their friendship. The collection is now available through the NLI’s online catalogue at: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000547117.

 The cataloguing of the Udolphus Wright (Abbey Theatre) collection, which had been purchased by the NLI in 2002. Udolphus Wright was an electrician, stage manager and actor at the Abbey Theatre during the first half of the 20th century.

This collection contains a cashbook, programme, souvenir booklets, news cuttings and a scrapbook concerning successive Abbey Theatre tours in the United States between 1911 and 1938. Also included are letters to Wright from Lady Gregory and WB Yeats amongst others. The records are now accessible online at: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000539456.

 Over 14,000 records from five photographic collections added to the catalogue: Database entries for five major photograph collections were enriched and converted to full library catalogue records. Over 14,500 records for photographs were added to the catalogue from the Stereo Pairs (1860-1883), Eblana (1870-1890), Eason (1900-1939), Valentine (1903-1960) and Cardall (1940-1960) collections.

Digitisation of Collections and Partnership with Google Cultural Institute Libraries have always collected, managed and provided access to all forms of information. While this core remit has not changed, dramatic advances in information technology in recent years means the NLI is driving forward a programme of digitisation, digital preservation, born digital collecting and online access to Ireland’s cultural heritage.

Since 2010, the NLI has overhauled its digitisation workflows and put in place key technical infrastructures. It achieved this with limited full-time technical resources and a very restricted budget by collaborating on international open-source projects. Digitisation activity focuses on the NLI’s unique collections, and over 10,000 images were digitised in 2013.

In 2013, the NLI drew on this digital content to become the first Irish cultural institution to collaborate with the Google Cultural Institute. Hundreds of museums, art galleries and archives around the world have teamed up with the Google Cultural Institute to make material accessible to everyone, including diaspora communities. The material is also preserved for the education and inspiration of future generations.

In October, the NLI launched three online photographic exhibitions on the Google Cultural Institute portal. These were based on photographic exhibitions previously held at the National Photographic Archive:

1. ‘Power and Privilege: the Big House in Ireland’, depicting life in Ireland’s ‘Big Houses’ during the mid-1800s and early 1900s. 2. ‘Witness to War’, featuring photographs taken by WD Hogan during the War of Independence and the Civil War between 1920 and 1923. 3. ‘Dubliners’, featuring the photographs of JJ Clarke, providing a record of life in the city at the turn of the last century.

The NLI exhibitions on the Google Culture Institute portal can be accessed at: www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/national-library-of-ireland.

Pictured above (l-r): John Herlihy, Google Ireland, with Miriana Rendulic in period costume at the launch

Martyn Turner Cartoons During 2013, Martyn Turner – a cartoonist of international renown, whose work is published regularly in The Irish Times – donated approximately 900 cartoons to the NLI, adding to a donation of some 1,200 works in 2006.

The NLI’s Department of Prints and Drawings is sorting and listing the collection. Categorising the cartoons involves searching the Irish Times to identify their publication date, and noting their social and political context. Characters and social issues would be identifiable to readers at the time of publication, but this may not be the case 30 years later. Establishing their publication date also allows the cartoons to be displayed in chronological order.

Approximately 20 per cent of the Martyn Turner collection has been catalogued to date, with the NLI’s Conservation Department advising on the appropriate housing and storage of the collection. In the future, it is planned to digitise the entire collection. Those that have been catalogued to date are available at: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000289763

Martyn Turner’s 2013 donation added to the extensive collection of 20th century newspaper cartoons held by the NLI, including:

 The work of Gordon Brewster (1889-1946), an editorial cartoonist for the Irish Independent group of newspapers: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000515975.  The ‘Shemus' Cartoon Collection, an archive of mainly political cartoons for the Freeman's Journal by artist Ernest Forbes (1879-1962), who signed himself ‘Shemus’: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000289669.

 The largest collection of newspaper cartoons is The ‘Till’ Cartoon Archive, which was presented to The NLI in 2010 by the family of the late George O’Callaghan (1916-2002). O’Callaghan contributed a topical cartoon to the Evening Press newspaper under the name ‘Till’ almost daily for 35 years.  The Terry Willers Cartoon Collection consists of 347 original drawings for cartoons that appeared in the Evening Herald newspaper between 1991 and 1994. The cartoons are very humorous and cover Irish political and social issues in the early 1990s.

Exhibitions

Ten major exhibitions were staged by the NLI over the course of 2013, in three different locations:

 the main NLI building on Kildare Street, Dublin 2;  the NLI’s premises at 2/3 Kildare Street;  and the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar.

The 10 exhibitions were as follows:

1. ‘Yeats: the Life and Work of William Butler Yeats’

The NLI houses the most extensive collection of WB Yeats papers, manuscripts, volumes and memorabilia. These are showcased through innovative multimedia interfaces in this exhibition, which also charts the life of the renowned literary figure.

This is a permanent exhibition at the NLI’s main Kildare Street premises, having opened in 2006.

It has won a number of awards at national and international levels, and has been described by The Irish Times as “one of the most important literary exhibitions yet staged internationally”.

In 2013, the exhibition attracted 57,659 visitors. Nearly 20,000 visits to the exhibition were recorded during the summer months (June to August) alone.

2. ‘Discover Your National Library’

Launched in 2012, this exhibition ran at 2/3 Kildare Street until May 2013. A multimedia exhibition, it invited visitors behind the scenes to view never-before-seen treasures from the NLI collections. Exhibits ranged from 17th Century home remedies and early archaeological drawings to Captain Cook’s journal.

From January to May of last year, the exhibition attracted 3,561 visitors.

3. ‘Taking Stock: the National Photographic Archive from 1998’

Launched in October 2012, this exhibition ran at the National Photographic Archive (NPA) in Temple Bar, Dublin 2, until May 2013. It was the NPA’s first retrospective, and aimed to explore what and how the NPA has exhibited since it opened in 1998.

As well as viewing photographs from the NLI’s photographic collections – ranging in date from the beginnings of photography in 1839 to the present – visitors were also able to see examples of NPA curatorial and preservation activities and plans for future projects.

A range of historic photographic equipment was also displayed.

From January to May 2013, ‘Taking Stock’ attracted over 22,000 visitors.

4. DIT Graduate Photography 2013

This exhibition represented the culmination of four years of study, featuring the photographic projects of 21 final-year students from the BA Photography at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). The exhibition ran at the NPA in Temple Bar, Dublin, from 1st June to 16th June, attracting approximately 3,000 visitors over that time.

5. PhotoIreland Festival

Between 21st June and 3rd August 2013, the NPA celebrated its fourth year of collaboration with the PhotoIreland Festival.

In 2013, the festival focused on the current state of photography in Ireland, with exhibitions and events in Dublin, Limerick, and Cork.

The NPA exhibited work by the following artists:

 Shannon Guerrico, ‘Libre et Sauvage’  Barry W. Hughes, ‘Metastatic’  Dorje de Burgh, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’  Dragana Jurisic, ‘YU: The Lost Country’  Kevin Griffin, ‘Omey Island-Last Man Standing’  Linda Brownlee, ‘Achill’  Robert Ellis, ‘New Line’

Over 7,000 people visited the NPA over the duration of the PhotoIreland Festival

‘YU: The Lost Country’, Dragana Jurisic ‘New Line’ Robert Ellis

6. ‘JFK: Homecoming’ Exhibition Location: 2-3 Kildare St, Dublin Date: 20th June 20th to 13th August 2013 Partners: US Embassy, National Archives, RTÉ Archives, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, National Museum

‘JFK: Homecoming’ marked the 50th anniversary of US president John F. Kennedy’s four-day visit to Ireland in June 1963. Opened by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy, the exhibition attracted more than 13,000 visitors. Her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, and their three children – Rose, Tatiana and Jack – also attended the launch, as did Jimmy Deenihan TD, then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

The exhibition took place against the backdrop of The Gathering, an initiative which welcomed the Irish diaspora and celebrated their achievements. It was staged in partnership with the US Embassy in Ireland; the National Archives; RTÉ Archives; and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and supported by loans of key items from the National Museum and the JFK Library in Boston. It was funded by the Department as part of a wider-ranging programme of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of President John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland in 1963.

‘JFK: Homecoming’ vividly portrayed life in Ireland in the early 1960s and captured the importance of Kennedy’s visit. It uncovered the long-term impact of those four days, and focused on Ireland’s continuing relationship with the Kennedy family. Original film, news archives, interviews, multimedia screens and wall panels combined to evoke the optimism and joy the visit brought to Ireland, and explored its resonance today.

Letters written by Kennedy during and after his visit also featured, while quotations from his charismatic speeches were displayed. The timeless quality and continuing relevance of these speeches were conveyed by readings from well- known Irish people (including Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Jamie Heaslip, Roddy Doyle and Sharon Corr), intercut with footage of the President’s visit.

Beyond the exhibition, an interactive online presence was commissioned by the US Embassy. The website, www.jfkhomecoming.com, encouraged people to share their memories and photographs of the visit. An app, which could be downloaded to smartphones using the exhibition wifi, was also created. The NLI and the US Embassy also worked together to offer a series of free public events around the exhibition, including children’s activities, a talk by filmmaker Alan Gilsenan, and a discussion hosted by Ryan Tubridy.

Programme for President Kennedy’s Pictured above: JFK at the family homestead, from the JFK Library and Museum visit Kennedy

7. The Fifth Province: County Societies in Irish America’ This was a travelling, banner-based exhibition from Glucksman Ireland House at New York University, which was on view in the front hall of the main NLI building from July to September 2013. Curated by Dr Marion Casey and Dr Miriam Nyhan, the exhibition celebrated the lifetime commitment many Irish men and women made to their Irish heritage through membership of a county society in the US.

Pictured (l-r): Professor Joe Lee; Mr Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Fiona Ross, former Director NLI; Dr Miriam Nyhan, Glucksman Ireland House

Approximately 25,000 visitors saw the exhibition over summer 2013

8. ‘The Dublin Lockout’

This exhibition – based at 2/3 Kildare Street – was launched in August 2013, and runs until autumn 2014. It examines the background, events and aftermath of the 1913 Lockout, a seminal event in 20th century Irish history.

It is a partnership between the NLI and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ 1913 Commemoration Committee, and features original documents from the NLI collections, such as Jim Larkin’s hastily scribbled advice to his union colleagues on the eve of ‘Bloody Sunday’ 1913.

The exhibition is part of a wider programme of events to commemorate the Dublin Lockout – organised by various State bodies, cultural institutions and non-governmental organisations – as part of the Decade of Commemorations.

13,620 people visited the exhibition between August and December 2013

9. ‘Pearse House: Village in the City’

This was a photographic exhibition by Jeanette Lowe, which was dually located in the NPA in Temple Bar and in Pearse House Flats, both Dublin city centre locations, approximately 1.5 kilometres apart.

The exhibition ran from 8th August until 6th October 2013, and allowed visitors to experience the unique environment of the flats and the people who lived there through Lowe’s contemporary photographs, which were exhibited alongside hundreds of old photographs donated by local people.

Over 16,000 people visited the NPA over the course of this exhibition.

10. ‘Working Lives 1893-1913’

This exhibition, guest curated by Mary Jones, opened at the NPA – for a seven-month run – on 18th October 2013.

It invited visitors to ‘travel back in time’ by delving into the NLI’s unique photographic collections to catch a glimpse of the day- to-day life of industrial workers in Ireland over 100 years ago.

From October to December 2013, the exhibition attracted over 10,000 visitors

Events and Outreach

The NLI runs a programme of events on an ongoing basis, encompassing tours, workshops, lectures, genealogy events, performances and family-focused events. Events cater to all ages, and are run during the day, in the evenings and at weekends.

During 2013, 13,444 people attended events at the NLI. The best-attended events (7,590 attendees in total) were those that took place in the evening-time, including lectures, discussions and performances. Public tours attracted 1,927 people to the NLI over the course of 2013, while a further 2,081 people took place in school tours / workshops and third-level visits.

The breakdown of attendance numbers for different categories of events is summarised in the following graph:

Attendance Figures for NLI Events, 2013 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

The busiest month for events was October, when 2,822 people attended NLI events. This was followed by September (2,262 attendees at events) and November (1,213). The quietest month was January, when only 330 people attended NLI events.

Month-by-Month Event Attendance Figures, 2013 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0

Event Highlights Some of the event highlights from 2013 were as follows:

 On 13th February, the renowned composer and pianist, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, and Nicholas Carolan, head of the Irish Traditional Music Archive (pictured below), gave a free public recital / lecture.

 International Women’s Day – which falls annually on 8th March – was marked by the NLI in 2013 with a lecture by Dr. Senia Paseta from the University of Oxford, on Ireland’s women revolutionaries.

 ‘Dublin: One City, One Book’ is an award-winning Dublin City Council initiative, led by Dublin City Libraries which encourages everyone to read a book connected with the capital city during the month of April every year. In 2013, the book chosen was ‘Strumpet City’ by James Plunkett, and the NLI hosted a number of events focused on ‘Strumpet City’, including a discussion on Dublin markets with Barry Kennerk and a panel discussion on the making of the ‘Strumpet City’ TV series (cast and creators of the television series Strumpet City pictured below), with input from those involved in the production.

 On Bloomsday 2013 (16th June), the NLI welcomed over 1,000 visitors to enjoy music, readings and lectures by Senator David Norris and Gerard Dineen. The NLI also hosted the Dublin leg of the global Bloomsday readings in the Reading Room, in partnership with the Joyce Centre, as well as a performance of the one-woman show Joyced by Katie O’Kelly (pictured below right).

 From early July until the end of August, the NLI held a series of lunchtime lectures focused on genealogy. Twenty-one lectures took place in total, targeted at everyone from advanced researchers to those just setting out to research their family tree.

 Throughout 2013, the NLI worked in partnership with History Ireland to offer a series of ‘Hedge Schools’ on various topics.

 In November and December 2013, the NLI staged ‘Man, Woman and Child’ – four concerts of traditional ballads. The concert programme drew on material produced during a series of autumn workshops facilitated by the NLI and the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

The NLI’s Work with External Partners

Poetry Aloud

Poetry Aloud is an annual competition for post-primary school students, run by the NLI in association with Poetry Ireland. Its aim is to celebrate the joy of speaking and listening to poetry. It is open to students from throughout the island of Ireland and, each year, a series of regional heats takes place, as well as semi-finals and a final, during which participants are expected to recite their selected poems from memory.

The late Seamus Heaney was a significant supporter of Poetry Aloud. In 2009, he was presented by the British Library with the David Cohen Prize for Literature. In addition to winning £40,000 for this award, the winner each year nominates the recipient of a subsidiary prize, the Clarissa Luard Award, worth £12,500. In nominating Poetry Aloud for the award, Seamus Heaney cited the extraordinary way in which the competition seeks to celebrate the joy of speaking and listening to poetry as well as the fact that there is a strong North / South dimension to the competition.

Pictured above (l-r) Poetry Aloud Winners 2013: In 2013, 1,500 students participated in Poetry Aloud. Following Aoife Fitzgerald, St Michael’s Holy Faith Secondary School, Finglas, Dublin (Junior 17 regional heats and the semi-finals, the final, featuring 31 Category); Niall Ó hAnnagáin, Coláiste Ailigh, students, took place at the NLI in December. The eventual Letterkenny, Co Donegal (Intermediate Category winner was Niall Ó hAnnagáin from Coláiste Ailigh in and Overall Winner); Barry Pierce, St Colman’s Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, who was presented with the perpetual College, Fermoy, Co Cork (Senior Category). trophy, the Seamus Heaney Poetry Aloud Award.

Culture Night

Culture Night is an annual initiative of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht – working in partnership with regional arts offices and local authorities throughout Ireland – whereby arts and cultural organisations open their doors until late, hosting hundreds of free events, tours, talks and performances.

The NLI has been an enthusiastic participant in Culture Night since 2006. In 2013, Culture Night took place on Friday, 20th September, and the NLI welcomed visitors from 5pm to 11pm to view the Reading Room and exhibitions, and to enjoy food and entertainment in the on-site café, Café Joly. Genealogists from Eneclann and Ancestor Network were on hand to offer visitors advice and answer questions, and 1,848 people visited the NLI over the course of the night. Visitors were also welcomed to the NPA throughout the night.

The Gathering Programme

‘The Gathering’ was a government-supported tourism initiative, driven primary by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. It ran throughout 2013, and aimed to mobilise the Irish diaspora to return to Ireland during the year to be part of specially organised local gatherings and events. In addition to encouraging the Irish diaspora to visit Ireland, it was hoped that ‘The Gathering’ would also enhance the general tourist experience.

The NLI participated in ‘The Gathering’ throughout 2013 in a range of ways, including the following:

 A free online booklet about discovering your family history at the NLI was developed and made available to download through the www.nli.ie website.  The exhibition, ‘The Fifth Province: County Societies in Irish America’ – which celebrated the lifetime commitment many Irish men and women made to their Irish heritage through membership of a county society in the US – was hosted at the NLI from July to September 2013.  The NLI offered a free programme of genealogy lunchtime talks through summer 2013, with all speakers donating their time free of charge.  The NLI also offered a free genealogy advice service throughout the year.

Resources

Budget The NLI’s funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht – including pay, current and capital expenses – was €6.605 million for 2013. This represented a seven per cent reduction on the NLI’s 2012 allocation and a 44 per cent decrease in funding since 2008.

Staff The permanent core staff headcount at the NLI at the end of 2013 was 91, and the full-time equivalent was 83.8 (allowing for part-time working arrangements).

In 2008, the NLI had 113 full-time equivalent staff members, meaning the organisation has experienced a 23 per cent reduction in staffing levels over the past five years.

At the end of 2013, the NLI also had three graduate studentships employed on a one-year contract – working on Research, Library and Archival projects – and a conservation intern, employed on a nine-month contract, part- funded by the Heritage Council of Ireland.

Eighteen volunteers provided assistance to the NLI during 2013.

Supporting the NLI

Since its foundation in 1877, the National Library of Ireland has enjoyed great support in the form of financial and material donations, which have enabled it to become the world's leading repository for Ireland's history and heritage. Almost all of the NLI’s services, public events and programmes are open to the public free of charge, and donation boxes are located throughout the NLI’s buildings to help support the ongoing programme of work.

In addition, the National Library of Ireland Trust was established to facilitate the generosity of people who wish to endow the NLI by financial donation or bequest. The Trust is an approved body within the meaning of section 484 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 which, in effect, means that donations to the Trust are tax deductible, subject to certain conditions. Full details of conditions can be found on www.revenue.ie.

For further information about the Trust, please contact the National Library of Ireland by email to [email protected] or by phone at 00353-1-6030244.

Board Member Attendance

Board member Attendance David Harvey, Chairman 9 Marian Fitzgibbon 8 Brian Halpin 9 Carol Maddock 9 Des Marnane 8 Patrick McMahon 8 Susan Philips 7 Pat Quinn 9 Paul Rellis 2 Paul Shovlin 7 Robert Spoo 5

In 2013, €6,753 was paid to Board members to cover travel and meeting expenses.

Donors 2013

Maureen Ahearne Gormley Gallery Charles Meredith Anders Ahlqvist Stephen Griffin Kay Merryweather All-Ireland Performing Arts Waclaw Grzybowski Dr Dan Minchin Conference Prof Adolphe Haberer Angus Mitchell Anne McMurray Development Ltd Tina Halpin Adrian Monaghan ArLiS UK and Ireland J. Victor Hamilton Dr Risteard Mulcahy Fergus Mulligan Ashgate Publishing Elizabeth Harford Roisin Murphy Roberta Bacic Harper Collins Ronnie Baird James Harte Nettlefield Primary School Bradley J Barnes Harry Havelin Willie Nolan Rosangela Barone Healing Through Remembering James Norton Belfast Historical and Educational Robbert-Jan Henkes One Small Step Campaign Society Joe Hill Judith O'Riordan Eric Bindervoet William Hudson Michael O'Sullivan Caroline W Bingley Hugo Valentin Centre Pen and Sword Books Blackstaff Press Laura Huxford Pobal Terence Bowman Gaspar Jaén I Urbán Louise Purbrick Donald Brady IASIL Japan Mr and Mrs John R Redmill Lisa Brady Gordon Jarvie Dr Richard Reid Prof Ivor Browne Craig Joel Kathleen and Stephen Richards Brian Cahill Maureen Jones Robert Blatchford Publishing Silvia Calamati Marie Jones Ron Rosenstock Dr JP Sean Callan Karl Koenig Institute Mary A Russell Clair M Callan Dr James Ryan Robin Cameron Peggy Kimbell Denise King Henry Saville Daniel Carroll Marian Lacy Scott Reg Chandler Dr Sylvie Kleinman Maura Lee West Ben Simon Patrick Corbett Colin Smythe Tony Cosier Damian Leonard Peter Leslie Prof Robert Spoo Cregan Local History Society Guido Spring Bernadette Cunningham Elayne Lockhart Gerard Long Wilson Steen Joe Curtis Ian Stringer Domobaal LOOK (Loving Our Out Kids) Sr Frances Lowe Honor Stuart Brian Peter Donovan Jan and Erik Sundström Philip Ducie Darren Lynch Patricia Lysaght The Irish World Elkhound Publications Dr Philip Maddock The Linen Hall Library Robert F Ely Matt Maginnis Karen Sasha Anthony Tipper Family of the late Anna McBride Phil Tomkins White Manchester University Press Bróna Uí Loing Patrick Farrell Marriage Equality Ulster History Circle Féile Belfast Anne Matthews Dr Jane McCabe Ulster-Scots Agency Fishamble Theatre Felicity McCall Rona Fitzpatrick Ulster-Scots Community Network Anthony McCan Folger Shakespeare Library Ultach Trust Fionn McCann Evelyn Walsh Francis Kyle Gallery Dr Mark McCarthy Jill Williams Dr Brian Friel Maria McCarthy Maeve Woods GAA Ulster Council Cardwell McClure Elaine Wright Michael McCone Gaelic Books Council Yale University Press Prof Donal McCracken Prof Hernán Galilea Steve Zalewski William Gillespie David K McDonnell John M McEvoy

29 www.nli.ie