Mulcahy papers chronicling Ireland’s revolutionary history digitised to enhance availability worldwide
22 January 2025
UCD President Professor Orla Feely, Richard Mulcahy, grandson of General Richard Mulcahy, with Dr Sandra Collins, University Librarian Credit: Mark Stedman
The papers of twentieth-century Irish revolutionary and political leader General Richard Mulcahy will be digitally available for the first time in 2025.
Mulcahy played an active role in the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, rising to the rank Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army.
Containing correspondence, memoranda, reports and minutes relating to his military and political leadership, Mulcahy’s papers have been a key source for the study of modern Ireland since being transferred by the Mulcahy Trust to UCD Archives in 1970.
With improved access and enhanced searchability, the digital papers will open up new pathways for research.
A handwritten note by Richard Mulcahy about the execution of four Republican prisoners during the Civil War, an act of reprisal for the assassination of Sean Hailes, TD, who was killed by anti-Treaty IRA men as he left the Dáil in 1922.
“This remarkable collection is crucial to understanding Ireland’s revolutionary history,” said (opens in a new window)UCD President, Professor Orla Feely, who launched the papers at an event in the James Joyce Library on 16 January.
“At UCD, we take immense pride in our world-class cultural heritage collections, and digitisation plays a vital role in enhancing accessibility and fostering innovative ways for audiences to engage with these invaluable resources.”
(opens in a new window)Professor Diarmaid Ferriter from the UCD School of History also spoke at the launch, paying tribute to the work of the UCD Archives team.
“Mulcahy had a passion for paperwork and was a compulsive note-taker. This means that his papers contain an exceptional level of detail on nationwide events throughout the War of Independence and Civil War in both the political and military arenas,” said Ferriter.
“The digitisation of these papers will result in a much greater awareness among the wider population of the internal machinations of the republican movement.”
Professor Diarmaid Ferriter praising the efforts to digitise Mulcahy's papers Credit: Mark Stedman
The digital papers are the result of a multi-year project, supported by the UCD Strategic and Major Initiatives Scheme, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and the Irish Research Council.
95,006 high-resolution images have been digitised as part of the project. The images will undergo a quality control process before gradually being made available in the UCD Archives reading room throughout 2025.
Over time, the papers will become part of the (opens in a new window)UCD Digital Library, which will provide free and open online access for people across the world.
A letter from Professor Edward Parnall Culverwell to General Mulcahy concerning the treatment of those about to be executed ifor the killing of Sean Hailes, TD.
“This is an exciting time for UCD Library, as we are working on plans to redevelop the James Joyce Library and launch a new Cultural Heritage Centre,” said Dr Sandra Collins, University Librarian at UCD.
“The digitisation of the Mulcahy Papers reflects our mission to make UCD’s cultural heritage collections more accessible”
The new Cultural Heritage Centre will bring together three major world-class heritage repositories: UCD Special Collections, the National Folklore Collection and UCD Archives, which houses the Mulcahy Papers among many other collections of private papers and institutional archives.
The National Folklore Collection features thousands of audio and film recordings, manuscripts and rare printed materials. It holds the Irish Folklore Commission Collection, assembled in the years 1935-1970, which is inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register.
By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.
