The 15th Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Lecture

'Sir John T. Gilbert (1829-1898): Life, Works and Context' by Brendan Twomey.

On 23 January 2012 the fifteenth annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lecture was held at Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street. The lecture was given by Brendan Twomey, who has published many books on the history of Dublin including 'Dublin in 1707: A year in the life of the city' (2009) and 'Smithfield and the Parish of St Paul, Dublin 1698-1750' (2005).

Follow the lecture in its entirety here (duration 51 minutes, also Transcript):

(Available too on dublinheritage.ie, where you can also access previous lectures and other recordings. )

About John T. Gilbert and the Gilbert Library

John T. Gilbert's valuable library of mainly 17th and 18th century books and manuscripts relating to Dublin and Ireland was purchased by Dublin Corporation after his death in 1898. It forms the nucleus of the special collections of Dublin City Public Libraries.

Born in 1829, Gilbert was author of the influential three volume 'History of the city of Dublin', published from 1857-59. He was a firm advocate of documenting the history of his native city using primary sources. His work on manuscripts relating to the city alerted him to the need for the preservation of Irish public records, many of which were in a neglected and vulnerable condition. He commenced a campaign, which eventually led to the setting up of the Public Records Office in the Four Courts. He calendared the records of Dublin Corporation, which date from the twelfth century, and began the series of printed volumes The calendar of ancient records of the city of Dublin.

The printed catalogue of the books and manuscripts of the Gilbert collection compiled by Douglas Hyde, LL.D & D.J. O'Donoghue is available for consultation in the Reading Room. View John T. Gilbert in the library online catalogue.