Irish Carnegie Libraries: A Catalogue and Architectural History

Description

This book describes Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropic work in favour of library development.

Between 1897 and 1913, Carnegie promised over £170,000 to pay for the building of some 80 libraries in Ireland. Sixty-two of the libraries built have survived to the present day. In his recent research, the author exclusively consulted The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust papers in the Scottish Record Office. Most of the Irish files consist of correspondence between the Irish authorities and James Bertram, Carnegie’s private secretary.

The second part of the book is a catalogue, arranged alphabetically by town, which details the origin and design of each library and gives an account, particularly, of the background to its establishment, the uses to which the building was put, and its present condition. The catalogue is illustrated with architectural plans and photographs.

This book will be of interest especially to librarians, local historians and architectural historians.

Author Biography

Brendan Grimes (b. 1945) is an architect and architectural historian. He teaches in the Dublin School of Architecture, Dublin Institute of Technology. He lives in Skerries, Co. Dublin, Ireland.