BY DONAL FALLON
MICHAEL DAVITT EXHIBITION
Running until June 2026, Character is Better than Wealth: The Enduring Legacy of Michael Davitt is a new temporary exhibition in the Old Library of Trinity College, Dublin, drawing on the university’s rich archival holdings. Davitt is best recalled for his agitation on the question of land reform, but the exhibition reminds us that he was ‘also an investigative journalist, republican activist and campaigner for prison reform, non-denominational education and pension rights’. The Davitt archive runs to some 7,000 items, including letters, photographs and diaries. Continuing TCD’s commitment to online access, the exhibition can be viewed for free from anywhere in the world at https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2026/michael-davitt-exhibition-/.
ACROSS THE ISLANDS
Good news for the National Library of Ireland with the announcement of significant funding for Across These Islands: Shared Histories, Shared Futures, a new collaborative partnership between four national libraries in these islands. The project seeks to ‘widen access to our national collections, deepen research collaboration, and help people and communities explore the shared histories, languages and cultures of these islands’. This could open up potential shared exhibitions and curatorial engagement between the libraries. The funding was announced during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent visit to Cork.
HARRY CLARKE REMEMBERED
The birthplace of Harry Clarke, Ireland’s most celebrated stained-glass artist, has been marked with a commemorative plaque by Dublin City Council as part of their ongoing Commemorative Plaques Scheme. On North Frederick Street, Clarke’s birthplace is only a stone’s throw from the family firm. The interactive Plaques of Dublin website charts the scheme, with recent plaques honouring writer Maeve Brennan, James Franey (who donated Halliday Square Park to the people of Dublin) and the birthplace of Brendan Behan. The plaques to Clarke and Behan are the first to carry the new city council insignia.
A WOMEN’S MUSEUM?
An interesting article from Dr Gillian O’Brien on RTÉ’s ‘Brainstorm’ website offers a perspective worth reading on the question of a new museum dedicated to women’s history. With Minister Patrick O’Donovan noting that the State intends to open a regional branch of the National Museum of Ireland in Limerick dedicated to women’s history, O’Brien notes that ‘historical precedents for women’s museums need to be understood in context. Institutions such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC, founded in 1981, or the Women’s Library in Glasgow, established in 1991, emerged when women were largely absent from mainstream museum narratives. Dedicated institutions were often the only way to preserve and present those histories.’ Today, the landscape of museums and their approach to curation and inclusion are very different. O’Brien’s piece can be read at www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2026/0312/1562788-womens-museum-limerick-history-representation-society-culture/.
MUSICAL ANNIVERSARIES MARKED
Record Store Day may have passed on 16 April 2026, but those digging in the crates at their local record shop might still be able to find two interesting Irish releases that nod to historical anniversaries. Begun in 2007, Record Store Day is an annual celebration of independent music shops internationally, with releases sometimes tied to anniversaries. This year brought a 50th anniversary edition of Rory Gallagher’s Calling Card, along with a vinyl release of Thin Lizzy’s Live in Cleveland 1976. This year’s Rory Gallagher Festival will take place in Ballyshannon on 28–31 May, with a stellar line-up that includes Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top fame. See www.rorygallagherfestival.com/.
DUBLIN FESTIVAL OF HISTORY RETURNS
Dates have been confirmed for the 2026 Dublin Festival of History, which will run from 26 September to 11 October. The annual free festival is now in its fourteenth year, and this year’s events will explore themes like the centenary of Fianna Fáil, the importance of the 1926 census and Irish sporting history. See www.dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/.