The personal library of the former Taoiseach, the late Charles J Haughey, was presented to the National Museum of Ireland this week to go on display in Turlough House.
The library, donated by Mrs Maureen Haughey and her family, will be an important national cultural resource when it goes on display.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Minister of State Seán Haughey TD said that his family was delighted that the National Museum would accept his late father’s collection. “My late father was born in Castlebar and it is fitting that his collection of books should be housed in the Museum of Country Life, at Turlough Park, Castlebar. He was honoured as ‘Mayoman of the Year’ in 1978 and had a long association with the county of his birth. It was to Mayo that he ventured early in the 1960s as a young and energetic Minister for Agriculture in the presence of his friend, journalist John Healy. It was this trip which motivated my father to introduce the farmers’ dole, or subsidy to live on the land. Later he was also an enthusiastic supporter both of Connacht Regional Airport at Knock and the Céide Fields.
“His collection of books reflects his great love of all things Irish. There are books on archaeology and folklore; literature; art and architecture; history and politics; biographies; sailing, islands and the sea; fauna and flora; crafts and antiques; trees and gardening; local history and guides; travel; on horses and shooting; books ‘as Gaeilge’ and ‘en Francais’. Whilst not exclusively of Irish interest, they reflect a man with a deep, abiding passion and love for Ireland.”
The library consists of over 3,500 volumes. Staff in the National Museum are currently cataloguing the collection, which will take some time to complete. In the meantime, a small display of a select number of items will be displayed in the galleries of the museum.
