Browse Collections

These are the core collections of the IVRLA, representing a sample of the archival collections held in the main source repositories in UCD. Each collection has been fully described and contains scans of texts, letters, photographs, paintings, ephemera and maps, as well as sound recordings and databases. In most cases, these digital collections represent the entirety of that particular physical collection in the source repository; however, in some cases only a sub-collection has been made available. Please see each individual collection for details.

Please note that currently there are three collections which are in a restricted access area due to ethical reasons. These collections are from the National Folklore Collection and can be accessed by UCD staff and students using their UCD Connect accounts. If you require access to this content, and are not a member of UCD, please visit the National Folklore Collection research page to download an application form and then contact the National Folklore Collection directly.

Restricted Access Collections

• Questionnaire: Emigration to America
• Questionnaire: Irish Famine
• Questionnaire: Tinkers [Travellers]

Please access the open access collections by clicking on the project titles or images below.

19th Century Pamphlet Collection
Collection of 19th century pamphlets, predominantly of Irish interest and covering a broad spectrum of subjects.

Beranger Watercolours in University College Dublin Library
18th century watercolours of Irish antiquities, done by or for Gabriel Beranger.

Boehm/Casement Papers
This collection consists largely of letters from Roger Casement to Captain Hans Boehm, during Casement's stay in Germany...

Civic and Ecclesiastical Architecture of Georgian Dublin Collection
Selection of 35mm slides from the collection of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, focusing on the civic and...

Colm Ó Lochlainn Collection: Ballads
Collection of broadsheet and single ballads which were the major source for Ó Lochlainn's two volumes of Irish street ba...

Curran Collection - Photographs
Collection of photographs compiled by Constantine Peter Curran, 1880-1972.

Domestic Architecture of Georgian Dublin Collection
Selection of 35mm slides from the collection of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy, focusing on the domestic ...

Folklore Photograph Collection
Selection of photographs from the National Folklore Collection which illustrates the work of the Irish Folklore Commissi...

Geological Survey Maps Collection
A selection of maps from the UCD Department of Geological Sciences.

Historic Maps Collection
18th and 19th century historic maps acquired by UCD Library from various sources.

Irish Dialect Archive Card Collection
A selection of data from the Irish Dialect Archive (Cartlann na gCanúintí) Card Collection of the School of Irish, Celti...

Irish Dialect Archive Manuscript Collection
A selection of manuscript material from the Irish Dialect Archive (Cartlann na gCanúintí) of the School of Irish, Celtic...

John O'Donovan/William Reeves correspondence
Correspondence between John O'Donovan (1809-1861), and, principally, William Reeves (1815-1892): eighty letters (1832-18...

Luke Wadding Papers
Correspondence relating to Fr Luke Wadding OFM and the Irish Friars Minor at St. Isidore?s College, Rome, on ecclesiasti...

Papers of Dr. William Frazer FRCSI (1824–99)
Letters from correspondents primarily in the British Isles, but also from North America and the Middle East, encompassin...

Papers of Eugene O'Curry (1796–1862)
Correspondence relating to O'Curry's work with the Ordnance Survey and the Royal Irish Academy and general correspondenc...

Papers of Françoise Henry (d.1982)
Textual and visual material consisting mainly of notes, drawings and plans, documenting early Christian Irish art, its i...

Papers of James Meenan – Move of UCD to Belfield
Two pamphlets relating to the proposed move of UCD to Belfield.

Papers of Michael Collins (1890-1922)
In its totality this collection gives a glimpse of Collins' life in London and of his continuous involvement in the Iris...

Press Photographs from the Papers of Frank Aiken (1898–1983)
This selection of press images provides a sample of the photographic archive of Frank Aiken throughout his lengthy polit...

Press Photographs of Eamon de Valera (1882–1975)
Press Photographs of Eamon de Valera (1882-1975) taken from the Papers of Eamon de Valera (P150).

Schools’ Manuscript Collection - Carna & Ballinasloe, Co. Galway / Bailiúchán na Scol - Carna agus Bhéal Átha na Sluaighe, Co. na Gaillimhe
This sub-collection consists of five volumes of essays dealing with a wide range of local folk tradition and history, wr...

Schools’ Manuscript Collection - My Home District / Bailiúchán na Scol - Mo Cheantar Féin
This sub-collection consists of a series of selected essays by schoolchildren from participating counties in Munster and...

The Beckett Country Collection
Two publications: (1) 'The Beckett Country: Samuel Beckett's Ireland', by Eoin O'Brien, written to celebrate Samuel Beck...

UCD Ephemera Collection
A collection of ephemera primarily associated with the history and development of UCD.

UCD Letters
Collection of 19th and early 20th century correspondence, acquired by UCD Library since the foundation of the Catholic U...

UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute Monograph Collection
A selection of early printed books from the UCD Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute for the Study of Irish History and Civilisa...

Urban Folklore Project (Dublin)
Collection of interviews and field recordings made at various locations throughout Dublin.