'Treasures' talk reveals small part of library's Kildare collection

People associate libraries with books, and they're right, but they don't always appreciate the other aspects of their local library service, writes Brian Byrne.

The full house audience at last evening's talk by Mario Corrigan in Kilcullen Library were given a whole lot to appreciate in a relatively short space of time.

'The Book of Kildare and other treasures' event was part of the National Heritage Week programme, and Mario brought a table-full of examples of the sort of 'treasures' the Library Service has been collecting down the years.

Some are bought, others are donated, but there's a constant scrutiny of collectibles sales catalogues that come across his desk in the Newbridge Library to make sure that nothing relating to Kildare slips away without at least looking to see if it can be acquired.

He didn't actually bring the Book of Kildare from the talk title. For a very good reason. It has been missing for hundreds of years. But he spoke of the description of the book by Geraldus of Wales, who visited Ireland three times in the late 12th century and wrote in very descriptive terms afterwards in his own Topographia Hibernica about the Book, which seems to have rivalled the Book of Kells and similar manuscripts from the scriptoria of the era.

Geraldus's description, which Mario says is 'marvellous', is the basis for Kildare-based calligrapher Josephine Hardiman's current major project on the Book of Kildare. She is working on a series of pages under the same name, inspired by the Welshman's writing.

Other items which Mario spoke of and showed last night included an American flag from the Library Service's collection of memorabilia of Teresa Breyton, just one of many items relating to her and to John Devoy. "Many people don't realise just how much they worked in America to help with the 1916 Rebellion," he said.

There were cap badges and regimental flags relating to WW1 Royal Irish Fusiliers, whose headquarters was in Naas. "These are just some of what we have from a huge military tradition in County Kildare. There's a WW1 recruitment sign found in Lullymore and presented to us by Michael Jacob, for instance. And lots of local material from the Civil War, including things made by Republican internees in The Curragh, and by later German and American internees there during WW2."

Some of the material doesn't immediately connect to Kildare, unless you know your history very well. For instance, there are among the many newspaper archives illustrations of the funeral of the Earl of Mayo crossing Sackville Street in Dublin in 1872. The so-called 'pickled earl' had been assassinated in India. "It was of interest because the Earl was buried in Johnstown, as the Mayos lived in Palmerstown House."

Other pieces included detail on Mary Leadbetter's diary, recounting the horrors of the 1798 Rebellion from the point of view of the peaceful Quakers. A photo album from an English gentleman's trip to the Gordon Bennett Race in 1903 revealed a picture of Ballyshannon House, no longer in existence. "I had never seen a picture before of the house."

Mario learned something last night too. After speaking about the extent of the Barracks area in Newbridge and showing a picture of the arched main gate to it, he noted that there is very little left of the Barracks now. "Well, that gateway was relocated to Gilltown Lodge," Nessa Dunlea was able to tell him. "Can we have it back?" he immediately asked, only half in jest.

After his talk, those present were able to examine close up and handle most of the items he had brought along It was an occasion for appreciation of not just the very diverse history of the county, but also of the passion and dedication of the Kildare Library Service staff in collecting such a variety of fascinating material relating to it.

Mario's dream is that sometime, preferably before he retires, is that there could be a place provided where it could all be shown to the public.

In the meantime, during this week we in Kilcullen and some audiences in other parts of the county during Heritage Week, were privileged to both see some of the 'treasures', but also hear directly the relevancies behind them.