Monday 9 September 2013

Special Collections Exhibit: Works of the late Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

The late Seamus Heaney was a poet, playwright and academic whose work is internationally renowned and respected.

On display is the poem Mid-Term Break (published in 1966) and a selection of titles by the Nobel Laureate including a signed copy of Stepping stones: interviews with Seamus Heaney by Dennis O’ Driscoll which was kindly donated by IT Sligo President Professor Terri Scott.

Special Collections Exhibit: Centenary of 1913 Dublin Lock-Out

The Dublin Lock-Out was a serious industrial dispute that began in the summer of 1913 when workers from the Irish Tram Company in Dublin, who were seeking a pay rise, were locked out of work because they refused to sign a pledge to leave their union, the Irish Transport & General Workers Union (ITG&WU). Other lockouts followed which caused widespread hardship and increased poverty, with over 300 employers and nearly 20,000 workers affected. The lockouts lasted until January 1914 when most workers were forced to return to work. Photos of the main trade union leaders Jim Larkin, James Connolly and William O'Brien are on display alongside the photo of the riots of 31 August 1913 also known as 'Bloody Sunday 1913' (Special Collections, exhibition cabinet no.2).

Special Collections Exhibition: Original issues of the Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society dating from 1892.

The Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society (JCHAS) has been in publication since 1892 covering topics on archaeology, history and geology. The issues on display are original issues from the early volumes of this journal and are just a selection from a larger collection kindly donated to Yeats Library by Maurice Meade (on display in Special Collections exhibition cabinet no.1, Social Zone)