A new Archives and Special Collections service has been launched by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) which will protect the cultural heritage of the Midlands and Midwest regions.
Since attaining university status in 2021, the TUS Library Team have been curating, cataloguing, digitising and ingesting collections it holds onto the Digital Repository of Ireland to make its resources discoverable and available to the wider community.
The archives, launched on Thursday, May 15th, will be home for the past records of the university’s founding institutions, Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology, as well as collections important to the local communities based near TUS.
Among these are:
-The Brendan O’Brien Collection and the Pat Burke Collection, both of which celebrate amateur drama and the All-Ireland Drama Festival (which is now the RTE All-Ireland Drama Festival).
-The Shannon Estuary Report Collection, generously donated by environmental scientist Jack O’Sullivan, which offers valuable insights into the ecological and industrial history of the Shannon Estuary.
At the launch, President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane, said: “We are so proud to host these historical collections.
“Our library is now home to the country’s only collection of amateur drama records thanks to the donation of the Brendan O’Brien and Pat Burke Collections, while the insights gained from the Shannon Estuary Report Collection will be of immense interest to academics, historians, ecologists and the wider community, and of course has a special place in a university that is itself defined by the river Shannon.
“We are very proud of these collections. The TUS archives have a local, regional and national significance and are central in how we as a young university view ourselves. “
Celine Peignen, Head Librarian, Athlone campus, stated: “Our library is the natural home for both the cultural heritage of the Midlands and Midwest and for the legacy of our own institution. We are proud that this has been recognised by many of our partners and stakeholders, who have entrusted us with collections of significant value.
“We have also begun curating and preserving a range of artefacts, photographs, and documents from our founding institutions—Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology. This institutional heritage project is vital. It ensures we maintain a historical record of our university’s origins, growth, and milestones, while also honouring the people and ideas that have shaped it—our faculty, students, alumni and leaders. “
Jack O’Sullivan, who donated the collection of Shannon Estuary Reports, said: “Here, in the Library of the Technological University of the Shannon, I hope to see a growing collection of books, reports and manuscripts which will help staff, students and researchers to deepen their understanding of the importance of the natural environment, demonstrated by learning more about this great river which flows past the University, and engaging in practical work to ensure long-term care of the river and its living ecosystems.”
The Brendan O’Brien collection includes:
-Correspondences from Beatrice Behan (widow of playwright Brendan Behan), Teresa Deevy (playwright), Maureen Delaney (Abbey actress and adjudicator), Hilton Edwards (actor and co-founder of the Gate Theatre) among many others.
-Signed messages from then Presidents Eamon de Valera, Patrick Hillary and Mary Robinson, former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave.
– Three bound volumes of the All-Ireland Drama Festival programmes from 1953-1982 together with an almost complete set of programmes from the period 1988-2018.
– The original seating plan for the Sportex Hall.
Gearoid O’Brien, son of Brendan O’Brien who was the driving force of the All-Ireland Drama Festival, said at the launch: “The All-Ireland Drama Festival has been a hugely important part of the cultural life of this country since its inception in 1953. It is a source of great pride to the family that this archive is now housed in TUS. I hope that others will continue to add material to this important archive which is not only of local interest but also of considerable national interest. This will surely be a very important resource for scholars of Irish amateur drama. ”
Dr Lisa Griffith, Director at the Digital Repository of Ireland, gave the keynote address at the launch, and praised TUS on the launch of the Archives and Special Collections.
The launch was part of the Fringe events held as part of the RTE All-Ireland Drama Festival.