Background:

The Library of Trinity College Dublin came into being shortly after the foundation of the College in 1592. The nucleus of the manuscript collection dates back to the earliest days of the Library's existence. The purchase of J M Synge's papers in 1969 marked the first major acquisition in the Department of Manuscripts' now substantial holdings of modern literary papers. The Department of Early Printed Books houses an extensive collection of drama in English printed before 1820 in addition to small but significant holdings of playbills, theatre music, and other works on the theatre. The Copyright Act of 1801 resulted in a considerable addition of nineteenth-century plays to the Library's printed collections. Particular attention is paid to the collecting of works of Irish authors and of editions printed in Ireland.

Major manuscript collections:

Samuel Beckett (1906-89) The Beckett papers at TCD form a composite collection, drawn from several sources over thirty years, the core of which was Samuel Beckett's donation of four notebooks containing drafts of his plays in 1969. The major elements are as follows: TCD MSS 4461-4: Beckett's notebooks containing drafts of his plays, 1954: 1958: 1963 TCD MS 10495: En attendant Godot (Paris: Les Editions de Minuit, 1952) TCD MSS 10402/1-223: Letters from Beckett to poet and art critic Thomas MacGreevy, 1931-66 TCD MSS 10962-71: Volumes (MSS 10962-66) and loose papers (MSS 10967-71) containing Beckett's notes on literature, history, philosophy and psychology TCD MS 10513/1-65: Postcards and letters from Samuel Beckett to poet Nick Rawson, 1965-89 TCD MS 10948*: Letters from Beckett to BBC radio producer Barbara Bray, 1957-89 TCD MS 11090/1-187: Letters from Beckett to singer and musician Bettina Jonic, 1958-89 TCD MSS 10730-31: see under Pike Theatre below In addition, there are over sixty items of correspondence between Beckett and various individuals, as well as material about the writer. Finding aids: cumulative descriptive list Microfilm: Beckett manuscripts may be consulted only on microfilm John Francis (Frank) Carney (1904-77) TCD MS 10170: drafts of plays and correspondence (mostly about The Righteous are Bold), 1940-61 Collection size: 11 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Séamus De Búrca (Jimmy Bourke)* (1912-2002) TCD MS 10675: drafts of plays, programmes, posters and some correspondence, 1933-95 Collection size: 15 boxes Finding aids: cataloguing in progress Dublin University Players TCD MUN/SOC/PLAYERS: correspondence, scripts and production notes, programmes, posters, photographs, business papers, society administration, 1939-96 Collection size: 28 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Gabriel Fallon* (1898-1982) TCD MS 11166: Plays, articles and children's stories, drafts of lectures and articles, presscuttings of his reviews of Abbey Theatre plays, Lyric Theatre Belfast Trust, Abbey Theatre programmes, correspondence, photographs, Sean O'Casey biographical material, tapes of radio interviews and Abbey Theatre recollections, 1927-80 Collection size: 3 boxes + printed material in Dept of Early Printed Books Finding aids: no access until catalogued Denis Johnston (1901-84) TCD MS 10066: play scripts and production materials including programmes, posters, photographs, scores, radio adaptations, press-cuttings, correspondence, and production copies of plays by other dramatists, 1925-83 Collection size: 107 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Jennifer Johnston* (b 1930) TCD MS 11063: drafts of works, correspondence, business papers, some works of others, photographs, 1937-96 Collection size: 18 boxes Finding aids: no access until catalogued John B Keane (1928-2002) TCD MS 10403: drafts of plays, scores, theatre reviews, playbills, posters, photographs, royalties accounts, and extensive correspondence, 1949-91 Collection size: 85 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Thomas MacGreevy (1893-67) TCD MSS 7985-8190: papers including articles re dramatists and Irish culture, reviews of plays (TCD MSS 7985-93); plays by MacGreevy (including collaborative works), translations of French plays (TCD MSS 8016-37); correspondence with writers (TCD MSS 8103-23) Collection size: 41 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Tom Murphy* (b 1935) TCD MS 11115: drafts and revisions of his plays, novels and short stories, film and television scripts, correspondence relating to his work, theatre programmes of performances of his plays, scripts by other writers, 1958-99 Collection size: 52 boxes Finding aids: no access until catalogued Seumas O' Sullivan (1879-1958) and Estella Solomons (1882-1968) TCD MSS 4630-49, 4649a-b: correspondence relating to the Dublin Magazine and Irish literary life including letters, and occasionally drafts of plays and programmes, from inter alia Samuel Beckett, Joseph Campbell, Paul Vincent Carroll, Teresa Deevy, George Fitzmaurice, Oliver St John Gogarty, Irish National Theatre, Con Leventhal, Lyric Theatre, Brinsley Mac Namara, Rutherford Mayne, Vivian Mercier, Lennox Robinson, James Stephens, Francis Stuart, Theatre of Ireland, 1876-1973 Collection size: 22 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Pike Theatre TCD MSS 10730, 10730a, 10731: Pike Theatre production of Waiting for Godot including Samuel Beckett's annotated TS of Waiting for Godot, correspondence between Beckett and Alan Simpson, co-founder of the Pike Theatre, and Pike Theatre poster and playbills, 1953-60 TCD MS 10813: Pike Theatre play scripts including the works of Dominic Behan, James Douglas, James McKenna and Carolyn Swift; programmes, posters and handbills; stage plans; production and cast photographs; presscuttings; extensive correspondence with playwrights, general theatre administration, The Rose Tattoo appeal fund and legal proceedings, 1948-64. Collection size: 14 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Microfilm: Beckett elements may be consulted only on microfilm John Millington Synge (1871-1909) TCD MSS 4328-4429: drafts of plays, poems, notebooks and diaries, photographs, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, books and periodicals, 1882-1909 TCD MSS 6173-6225: Synge biographical material Collection size: 31 boxes Finding aids: descriptive list Microfilm: Manuscripts of the Irish literary renaissance, series three: The J M Synge manuscripts (19 reels) available from Primary Source Media, Gale Group, 50 Milford Rd, Reading, RG1 8LJ.

Collections containing minor theatre elements: Joseph Campbell (MS 10171-10246); Teresa Deevy (MS 10722); Frank O'Connor (MS 10899); Stuart Parker (MS 10306); Lennox and Dolly Robinson (MSS 3561, 9686-89)

Access to the collections:

Access by appointment. The department is open 10am-5pm, Monday-Friday; 10am-1pm, Saturday; annual closure for two weeks in summer (see website for details). Readers must apply for readers' tickets at the front counter (in the Ussher/Berkeley/Lecky Library, 2003), bringing an identity card and/or a letter of introduction. Manuscript collection daily at 11am. There is no collection on Saturdays: manuscripts must be ordered during the previous week.

Facilities:

Photography and microfilming by arrangement

Catalogues and indexes:

Readers may consult typescript catalogues of accessions and handlists of collections in the department. Personal and subject indexes to the collections are also available.