UCD Presents Commemorative Letterpress Book to Fingal Libraries

A commemorative poetry edition to mark the centenaries of the War of Independence and Civil War was today presented to Fingal Libraries by Catherine Wilsdon, Creative Producer, Poetry as Commemoration, and Evelyn Flanagan, Head of UCD Special Collections. The presentation took place in Fingal Local Studies and Archives. In attendance were Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Gráinne Maguire and County Librarian, Betty Boardman.  

Fingal Libraries received edition number 53 of Grief’s Broken Brow, a letterpress book containing commemorative poetry and art inspired by archival material from the War of Independence and the Civil War.

100 copies of Grief’s Broken Brow were hand-crafted by The Salvage Press as part of UCD Library’s Poetry as Commemoration project which, over the past two years, has initiated poetry commissions, public poetry installations, and an extensive programme of writing workshops aimed at connecting the public with archives from this challenging period of our shared history.

As the Decade of Centenaries comes to a close, the project team are presenting public libraries and selected major repositories across the island of Ireland with a copy of the limited-edition book so that it can be made available to the public. Members of the public will be welcome to view this collection in Fingal Local Studies and Archives.

Speaking at the presentation, Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Gráinne Maguire said: “I would like to thank UCD for presenting Grief’s Broken Brow to Fingal Libraries. This fine edition will now be made available to the public in Fingal and preserved for future generations as a legacy of the Decade of Centenaries”.

County Librarian Betty Boardman said: “Throughout the decade of centenaries, Fingal Libraries engaged in a programme of projects, events, exhibitions, and publications to promote a deeper understanding of the revolutionary period. We are grateful to UCD Library’s Poetry as Commemoration initiative for Grief’s Broken Brow and its significant contribution to illuminating the experiences of people who lived in these extraordinary times through the medium of poetry”.

Poetry as Commemoration encourages people on the island of Ireland, to build a greater understanding of our shared past through creative engagement with archival materials relating to the War of Independence and Civil War.

The book was designed and produced by Jamie Murphy at The Salvage Press and features original poems by Bebe Ashley, Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi, Martina Evans, Seán Hewitt, Nithy Kasa, Victoria Kennefick, Aifric Mac Aodha, Paul Muldoon, Padraig Regan, and Stephen Sexton. All ten poems are also available through the project website www.poetryascommemoration.ie and through a Poetry Jukebox installed at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin.

James Earley, an artist whose work often references his family’s heritage in stained glass, designed a suite of three images inspired by the windows of the Public Records Office after the destruction of the building at the outset of the Civil War in 1922. Dr. Lucy Collins of UCD School of English, Drama & Film and Commandant Daniel Ayiotis, Director of The Military Archives, offer reflective essays on poetry and archives in the volume. This artist’s book was hand printed by Jamie Murphy and Ellen Martin-Friel with cover papers created by Sligo-based artist Louise Gaffney. A video by Ror Conaty capturing the attention to detail and skill involved in making Grief’s Broken Brow can be found on YouTube via the Irish Poetry Reading Archive.

Speaking at the launch of Grief’s Broken Brow in November, UCD President Professor Feely remarked:

“UCD has made significant contributions not only through scholarship on the period but through exhibitions, documentaries and creative and cultural works such as Signatories, Voices of War, and the Civil War Cantata to name just a few. It is with great pleasure that Grief’s Broken Brow is included in this list of creative contributions to the Decade of Centenaries by UCD Library.”

The project was supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries programme 2012-2023 and each copy of the book is accompanied by a letter of introduction by Minister Catherine Martin.