The Jackie Clarke Library and Archives, Ballina, Mayo
About the Collection
This is one of the most important Irish collections in the world. Its breadth and importance, once only known to its creator, is now being made available to all.
The Jackie Clarke Library and Archive contains over 100,000 items including many unique documents that scholars had believed to be lost - sole surviving copies of publications, rare handbills and proclamations, unpublished manuscripts and political writings. The sheer range of this collection is breathtaking. It was put together during the lifetime of one man, Jackie Clarke, (1928-2000). Spanning nearly 400 years of Irish history, its earliest documents date from the early 1600s, its final documents were collected by Jackie Clarke in 2000, the year of his death.
This treasure trove of items can be compared with the scale of other collectors around the world, but in Irish terms, in the era it was collected, Jackie Clarke stands alone as the single most important private collector; an Irishman collecting Irish history for his own people. Due to the generosity of Mrs Ann Clarke who has gifted in perpetuity her husband’s library and archives to Mayo County Council, the Irish nation and the world will have access to this unique and priceless collection.
The Jackie Clarke Library and Archive, now under the stewardship of Mayo County Council, will become an education and cultural centre of international significance. Mayo County Council has embraced the opportunity of showcasing this library and archives to the highest international standards. Mayo County Council has purchased a superb location to house the Jackie Clarke Library and Archives; the former Provincial Bank was designed by Thomas Manly Deane, architect of some of Ireland’s most impressive buildings including the National Library of Ireland. The Jackie Clarke Library and Archives will be a world-class facility for those seeking ‘an authentic experience’ in Ireland.
The Library and Archives is currently closed to the public. Cataloguing of this vast collection is ongoing. Phase one of the restoration work on the former Provincial bank, the new home for the Jackie Clarke Library and Archives will commence in 2010.
Curator/Manager
Sinéad McCoole
The Jackie Clarke Library and Archives
Pearse Street, Ballina, Co Mayo.
Phone: +353 (0)96 70833
Email:smccoole@mayococo.ie