Historical Archive of Cycling in Ireland: Launch, May 3rd 2019
Cycling Ireland, in collaboration with University College Dublin Archives, is building a collection of documents related to the history of cycling in Ireland in order to ensure that the history of Irish cycling will be fully preserved. The collection will be deposited in UCD Archives where it will be fully catalogued and made available for research.
Ciaran McKenna, President of Cycling Ireland, outlined the background to this initiative:
‘Cycling Ireland is keenly aware of the rich history of cycling in Ireland and of the key contributions made by many individuals. We wanted to ensure that their work on behalf of cycling will be documented and archived to the highest international standards and be made available to cyclists, historians and the general public. We are also aware that many individuals with significant documents would like a safe, long-term repository for them. The UCD Historical Archives is the ideal partner in this regard and we are delighted to collaborate with them on this initiative. I would urge anyone who has documentation of any kind to consider donating it and their names will always be referenced to their material in the archive.’
UCD Archives specialises in the acquisition of private paper collections of individuals and organisations associated with the history and development of the modern Irish state. In addition to significant collections of papers of a great many Irish public figures, UCD Archives has built up strong collections of records of significant organisations including sporting bodies and cultural associations which constitute an essential resource for research into Irish history, politics and culture from the twentieth century onwards. It is located in the James Joyce Library at the college’s Belfield campus (www.ucd.ie/archives).
Kate Manning, Principal Archivist, UCD Archives, comments:
‘I am pleased to support this initiative of Cycling Ireland. The history of sport in Ireland has much to tell us about who we are as a nation. UCD Archives is committed to preserving the archives of sporting bodies and is delighted to be involved in building this collection, to facilitate its growth and ultimately, to make it available for research.’
This project is also receiving advice and support from Assoc. Professor Paul Rouse of the UCD School of History, who said about the project:
‘The story of Irish cycling is a fascinating one. The intersection between sport and politics, as revealed through the story of Irish cycling is endlessly interesting. The personalities who are central to this story have a powerful history to tell. This archive will be an invaluable international resource for sports historians around the world—and will also be of great value to historians of modern Ireland.’
The archive project is being co-ordinated for Cycling Ireland by Dr Tom Daly of Killarney Cycling Club who has extensively researched aspects of Irish cycling history.
All material up to 2007 will be accepted and anyone interested in donating to the archive, or who might have any queries, can contact Ciarán McKenna, Cycling Ireland (ciaran.mckenna@cyclingireland.ie) or Kate Manning, UCD Archives (kate.manning@ucd.ie, +353-1-7167547).
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At the recent launch of the Irish Cycling Archive (May 3rd), from the left are: Assoc. Professor Paul Rouse of the UCD School of History; Dr. Tom Daly, Cycling Ireland; Kate Manning, Principal Archivist, UCD Archives; Marie Burke, Associate Librarian, UCD Archives; Ciarán McKenna, President of Cycling Ireland