06/04/2011

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Whitechurch Library celebrating 100 years

Whitechurch library has stood at the heart of the community now for one hundred years. If the walls could speak they would tell how the building has served as a significant centre for community development across generations of Rathfarnham and Whitechurch people.

Designed with the bookshelves and librarian’s desk to one side and a large reading room to the other side, the reading room quickly became a community centre in the real sense of the word. From 1911 onwards, Gaelic League meetings were held there, travelling theatre and variety shows were performed with Jimmy O’Dea among the performers, Annie M P Smithson, the novelist who was the local nurse, set up a children’s play centre cum clinic in the library – precursor to today’s parent and toddler sessions, the BCG injection was also given there to most of the local people of Ballyboden for many years. Older residents can recall how the library was an established venue for ‘all night dances’, an activity which was none too popular with the local clergy!

Throughout the century the library was the home of Ballyboden Wanderers GAA club, which was established there in 1910, and who held their weekly meetings and fund raisers to build their own club house on Mount Venus Road. A tradition also developed in the 1920s whereby if a local family experienced  a bereavement or fell on hard times, the community would come together in Whitechurch library and hold an ‘event’ to raise money.

Fast forward now to the 2011 and the library is busier than ever. The WEB project which shares the premises is a vibrant community development project coordinating adult education classes for the Ballyboden area. (VEC, Alternative Entertainments, Community Department in SDCC also involved) The library also hosts HSE and MABS activities each week providing free information and advice to local people.

On any given afternoon you will find local families browsing and borrowing books, students using WiFi to do research, senior members of the local community working on the social history of the area, people attending computer classes, travellers attending literacy classes or researching the George Gmelch’s photographic collection featuring local travelling families from the 1970s. When Ballyroan Library closes this summer for redevelopment Whitechurch Library will extend its opening hours and will become busier than ever providing a service to an even wider customer base. It is undeniable that Mr Carnegie would be very proud of his investment in this building.

To celebrate the centenary celebrations for Whitechurch Library, an exhibition on the life and works of the architect of this library, Mr TJ Byrne who for some time lived immediately adjacent to the library in Kingston Lodge has been commissioned.

Many Irish Carnegie Libraries were designed by distinguished architects. It is evidence of the reputation which T.J. Byrne had established by the age of 33 that he was commissioned by The Carnegie Trust to design Whitechurch Library.

TJ Byrne had been appointed Architect and Clerk with the South Dublin Rural District Council (which was a fore runner of today’s South Dublin County Council) in 1901. His experience dealing with housing in London inspired his advocacy for improved public housing in the Dublin County area and he was responsible for many fine housing schemes in Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Chapelizod and Mount Brown. TJ Byrne was a radical an innovative architect and in 1915 he was elected a member of The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.  His work rate was prodigious and he was ultimately responsible for the reconstruction of the Four Courts, Custom House and GPO.

The build and design of Whitechurch Library made excellent use of materials and forms that belong to the Arts and Crafts tradition which was essentially about a return to design and handcraft - and it is interesting that we commemorate the centenary of this library in this Year of Craft 2011.

The wonderful exhibition which will be on show until 31st April in Whitechurch Library is further testament to the vibrancy and engagement of the library with the local community.  The exhibition was put together by local resident, architect and writer Michael Fewer. Michael willingly undertook working on the exhibition out of a sense of community pride and responsibility.

At the launch of the exhibition, we were particularly honoured to have John Byrne, grandson of T. J. Byrne with us. John was most helpful to Michael in providing material for the exhibition and in supplying details of his grandfather’s life. Also in attendance at the launch was former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave who is also a local to the area.

Dr Eimear O’Connor of TCD, another great friend of Whitechurch Library contributed a piece on the Arts and Crafts movement for the exhibition.

We are grateful to Breda Bollard, Branch Librarian and to the Whitechurch community for all their work and wish Breda well as she steers Whitechurch Library into its second Century.

Images

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  County Librarian Georgina Byrne, with Deputy Mayor of South Dublin County Council Cllr. Paddy Cosgrave
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  Former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave at the Centenary Celebration of Whitechurch Library
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  Whitechurch Library