An old Irish proverb states ‘a good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.’ In the new Linen Hall exhibition, Laughter in the Dark – Illustrating the Troubles, launching on 8 January, this proverb will be put to the test. The birth and rise of the political cartoon and its important role in Northern Ireland’s history will be investigated.
In January we also celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns’ birthday with a talk about our Burns’ collection, the largest outside of Scotland; and mark Holocaust Memorial Day with a talk by Dr Barbara Warnock from London’s Wiener Library.
The January schedule is as follows:
Tread the boards of the last 20 years with Irish language theatre company Aisling Ghéar. Photographs, newspaper articles, features, reviews, programmes and various yards of 35mm film feature in this very unique treasure trove of memorabilia.
A new Linen Hall exhibition which charts the birth and rise of the political cartoon and its important role in the political landscape of Northern Ireland. Features examples of original artwork by well-known cartoonists Rowel Friers and Ian Knox. The exhibition is part of the Library’s Divided Society project which is digitising large parts of the Northern Ireland Political Collection.
Continues the series of lectures by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. In this lecture the many images held within PRONI’s archives are illuminated. Also discussed is the digitisation work being carried out to preserve these wonderful collections.
Speak Irish? Or want to brush up on your skills? Take part in our free Irish book club. This month’s title is Conaire Mór – Seacht nDoras na Cinniúna by Diarmuid Johnson.
Learn to draw a Northern Ireland superhero and villain under the expert tutelage of leading cartoonist PJ Holden.
Dr Barbara Warnock outlines the story of Britain and the Kindertransport, which transported children to places of safety nine months after the Nazi occupation of Austria. The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide is Britain’s main Holocaust library and contains the oldest collection of its kind in the world.
Today Burns’ fans all over the world will don their tartans and toast the Bard! Dr Ferguson traces this poetic genius’s early reception in Ireland and the United States.
The Ulster-Scots Agency will mark Burns’ Day by laying a wreath at the Linen Hall’s Robert Burns’ statue located in the main reception area of the Library.
All are welcome to join in the discussion and debate of the selected title of the month. This month’s chosen book is Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer.
For more information about the Linen Hall Library please visit our website at www.linenhall.com
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Pictures and interviews are available on request. Contact Linen Hall Library Digital and Marketing Comms Specialist Rachel Wetherall at r.wetherall@linenhall.com or tel: 028 9032 1707.
