📑🇮🇪 Mulcahy papers chronicling Ireland’s revolutionary history digitised to enhance availability worldwide The papers of twentieth-century Irish revolutionary and political leader General Richard Mulcahy will be digitally available for the first time in 2025. Mulcahy played an active role in the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, rising to the rank of Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army. Containing correspondence, memoranda, reports and minutes relating to his military and political leadership, Mulcahy’s papers have been a key source for the study of modern Ireland since being transferred by the Mulcahy Trust to UCD Archives in 1970. With improved access and enhanced searchability, the digital papers will open up new pathways for research. “This remarkable collection is crucial to understanding Ireland’s revolutionary history,” said UCD President, Professor Orla Feely, who launched the papers at an event in the James Joyce Library on 16 January. “At UCD, we take immense pride in our world-class cultural heritage collections, and digitisation plays a vital role in enhancing accessibility and fostering innovative ways for audiences to engage with these invaluable resources.” Professor Diarmaid Ferriter from the UCD School of History also spoke at the launch, paying tribute to the work of the UCD Archives team. “Mulcahy had a passion for paperwork and was a compulsive note-taker. This means that his papers contain an exceptional level of detail on nationwide events throughout the War of Independence and Civil War in both the political and military arenas,” said Ferriter. “The digitisation of these papers will result in a much greater awareness among the wider population of the internal machinations of the republican movement.” The digital papers are the result of a multi-year project, supported by the UCD Strategic and Major Initiatives Scheme, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and the Irish Research Council.