Bonar Law Collection acquired by NLI

This landmark acquisition represents an important moment for the collection of work of maps and prints of and about Ireland and was made possible by a special allocation of funding from the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin.

Following discussions with the Library of University College Cork (UCC), the NLI has entered into a loan-arrangement with UCC that allows the collection to be placed in UCC. The collection will be housed in the UCC Library and will be open to researchers and the public.

Highlights from the collection include:

• All important atlases of Ireland in their various editions
• World atlases containing Irish maps
• A section entitled ‘cartographical curiosities’
• A comprehensive collection of caricature prints
• Broadsides and ballad sheets, many of which are likely to be unique to this collection
• An important collection of Sea Charts

The Bonar Law Collection includes over 90% of the listed maps and prints of Ireland ever produced.

The acquisition was marked by an event in UCC on the 15^th January, attended by An Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D.; UCC President, Prof John O'Halloran; Charlotte Bonar Law; Coral Black, UCC University Librarian; NLI Chairperson Eoin McVey; and our Director Dr Audrey Whitty.

Speaking at the event, Dr Audrey Whitty, Director of the National Library of Ireland, said:

“We are grateful to Minister Martin and her Department for the opportunity to make this acquisition, and we are glad to be collaborating with UCC, given their unrivalled scholarship and excellence in historical geography.

“It is a major priority for us is to grow and to further strengthen our connections across all of Ireland and we are delighted to enter into a loan-arrangement with UCC that allows the collection to be placed in Cork.

“The excellent condition of the material in the Bonar Law Collection means that it will be an essential part of the NLI collection of printed maps and topographical prints, and a foundation collection for future digitisation projects, programmes and exhibitions.”

Read the full press release.