a whole new world

View The Civil War In Dublin Gallery

On 28 June 1922 the forces of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State, led by Michael Collins, attacked the Anti-Treaty garrison at the Four Courts. This action is generally believed to mark the beginning of the Irish Civil War. Fighting spread to the centre of the city with Anti-Treaty troops occupying part of O’Connell Street (including the Gresham, Crown, Granville and Hammam Hotels) as  well as outposts on Gardiner Street, Parnell Street, and Aungier Street. The Anti-Treaty forces were defeated after a week of heavy bombardment and street fighting. Over three hundred combatants were killed or wounded with Republican leader Cathal Brugha among the fatalities. Over two hundred civilians were killed during ‘the Battle of Dublin’ that lasted from 28 June to the 5 July 1922. Read more »

Walk away the Winter blues!

Have you overindulged over the festive season. Do you feel lethargic and tired? Are you afraid to step up on the scales. Has Operation Transformation (TV Programme) frightened you into keeping fit? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, fear not! Dublin Public Libraries can help!

Dublin City Public Libraries have a very comprehensive collection of maps and guides with interesting walks, hikes, and trails contained within: encouraged yet to venture out in the fresh air, and explore and enjoy the countryside?

Suss out any of our 21 library service points spread across the city and checkout these walks. Included are: 

• Best Walks in Ireland by David Marshall (2006)
• Glasnevin Cemetery: A historic Walk (1997)
• Leisure Walks Near Dublin by Joss Lynam (2004)
• Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin by Brian J Showers (2006)
• Lonely Planet Hill Walking in Ireland (2010)
• Secret Dublin. 25 original walks exploring the hidden city by Pat Liddy (2001)
• Walks Around Medieval Dublin by Dublin City Council (2004)
• A Walk Across Ireland from Coast to Coast including the Royal Canal Way by John Mulligan (2006)

Andrew Miller, who won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1999 with his first novel, Ingenious Pain, was yesterday announced as the overall winner of the Costa Award for his sixth novel, 'Pure'. 'Pure' is set in late 18th-century Paris and follows the story of a young engineer, Jean-Baptiste Baratte, charged with demolishing Paris's oldest cemetery and removing the corpses.

Right: Winning title, Pure, by Andrew Miller (click to view larger image)

Apparently it was a "bitterly fought two-way tussle" between 'Pure' and 'Now All Roads Lead to France', by Matthew Hollis, and generated a fierce debate between the judges!

Muriel Spark (1918-2006) wrote psychological novels, usually set in respectable, middle-class environments but dealing with the darker side of human nature. Her writing is wonderfully economical, so that, though her novels are mostly short, they manage to convey a lot.  Chronology isn’t an important feature: they leap backwards and forwards in time, and you often know the ending at the start, or at least you think you do. Here’s a taster of some of her better-known works.

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Once derided as a literary medium for 'children and the simple-minded', comic books or graphic novels have become a respected and respectable literary genre in their own right. Any condescension seems to be a peculiarly Anglo/Hiberno prejudice as comics are fully incorporated into the literary heritage of many countries, most notably the USA, Japan, and France. Things seem to be changing here in Ireland with noted writers such as Peter Murphy and Kevin Barry championing the format as well as a small but vibrant domestic scene (which shall be the subject of a future blog).

Graphic novels are prohibitively expensive to buy but Dublin City Public Libraries has an excellent collection for both children and adults. The following selection is largely aimed at the adult reader taking their first exploratory steps into a format they may have ignored since their days of reading The Beano and The Dandy. Explore and enjoy. Read more »

Another success story...

Have you visited the Business Information Centre, Central Library recently? If not, you may not know that we have been running a series of 18 Career & Development workshops from January 2010 - December 2011, with 3 more planned for January, February and March of this year.  

We sourced different expert Career Coaches from around the country, to give these presentations. We liased with these coaches and asked them to tailor these talks towards the positive aspects of searching for work. Read more »