Pomes Penyeach

From personal letters to manuscripts and signatures of prominent literary and political figures, handwritten material offers a direct connection to the people behind the records. This blog highlights four examples of handwriting from the archives, each reflecting a different historical moment and personal story.

1. Mary Robinson signs the Presidential Oath

On the 3^rd of December 1990, Mary Robinson prepared to sign the presidential oath at her inauguration ceremony in Dublin Castle. Taoiseach Charles Haughey presented Robinson with a quill that once belonged to Éamon De Valera, which she used to sign the oath to begin her term as the seventh President of Ireland.

Before signing the document, Robinson practiced using the quill on a separate page. Her handwritten signature captures a significant moment: the inauguration of Ireland’s first female president, marked using the quill of another pivotal figure in Irish history.

2. Lámhscríbhinní De hÍde

Douglas Hyde, Ireland’s first president, was an avid collector of Irish folklore and a major advocate for the Irish language. Following his death in 1949, his manuscript collection was entrusted to the university, comprising 117 volumes.

The Lámhscríbhinní De hÍde contain poetry, folklore and prose mainly in Irish, written by various scribes from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries and collected by Hyde. Nine manuscripts from the collection have been digitised and are available on Irish Script on Screen. The two examples below are only available in the archive.

Manuscript No.37 includes notes on Irish grammar, parody poetry and an Irish translation of a devotional treatise attributed to Paolo Segneri.

Gallegan reflected on his own mortality in contrast to the longevity of books. Inside the cover, he wrote:

‘How sad it is, fair little book;

The day shall sure arrive,

When o’er thy page it shall be said,

Thy writer’s not alive!!’

3. Cross-writing in the Imirce Collection

The Imirce collection is a growing archive of letters and life stories of Irish emigrants. Reading these letters is not always straightforward, especially when unusual writing formats appear.

One such format is cross-writing. When paper was scarce or postage was expensive, space was maximised by writing in one direction then turning the page to different angles and writing over the original text. This technique produces layered and visually dense text which is read in multiple directions and can be difficult to follow.

In one example, Anne Cleburne writes to her mother in Cork describing her journey to New Orleans in December 1849. Professor Kerby Miller's transcription is available on the digital archive and is a helpful guide in this case. Can you decipher the original letter?

Link to the digital archive with Kerby Miller's transcription.

4. John McGahern drafts

Handwritten drafts and corrections reveal aspects of the writing process behind some of John McGahern’s works.

Handwritten draft of his play, The Power of Darkness, Act 2:

This post highlights items from smaller collections across a range of subjects dating from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.

1   Atlas of Anatomical Drawings (1859)

Printed in 1859 in Dublin, this Atlas of Anatomical Drawings presents the work of Wilson, Carpenter and other medical educators of the nineteenth century. The volume includes 28 detailed coloured plates displaying anatomical drawings, each corresponding to a handwritten description earlier in the volume.

The volume was donated to the library by Professor Seán and Mrs Frances Lavelle. It provides a striking example of how anatomy was taught in the nineteenth century.

1    Wheatstone’s Harmonic Diagram (1824)

Charles Wheatstone was a physicist and inventor best known for his invention of the “Wheatstone Bridge,” an electrical circuit used to measure unknown electrical resistance. Alongside his work in physics, Wheatstone was also involved in the world of music, selling, repairing and even inventing musical instruments.

Wheatstone created this ‘Harmonic Diagram’ in 1824. The device uses a rotating wheel turned by a red ribbon around a central ivory pin to reveal relationships between major and minor keys and the sharps and flats in their key signatures. The degrees of each scale are shown by the numbers at the edge of the wheel.

In this image, the key of A major is shown, and the three sharps in the key signature appear through the small window.

1    Ration Book and Rationing Records (1943-1951)

Issued by the Department of Industry and Trade in 1951, this unused ration book belonged to Kathleen Joyce of Galway. Inside, printed instructions explain how to use coupons for goods like bread, sugar, flour, butter and tea.

In 1943, the Department of Supplies issued a pamphlet titled, Leaflet explanatory of clothes and footwear rationing, describing clothing allowances for men, women and children. This item is accompanied by a retailer’s record sheet from 1946, used to track stock and sales of flour and bread.

1    Éire an tSeana Shaoghail (1918)

Published in 1918, Éire an tSeana Shaoghail lists the feast days of the Irish saints. The text is presented as a facsimile of calligraphy and is decorated with striking illustrations and designs, protected by a floral tissue page inside the cover.

1     Moll’s Map of Connacht (1728)

In 1728, cartographer Herman Moll produced an Atlas of Ireland using ink and colour washes. Moll’s maps are valued for their accuracy and artistry as the first maps to precisely depict Ireland's road network. This archive includes Moll's maps of Connacht, Galway, Clare and Limerick.