By Ciara Joyce, Archivist, Special Collections & Archives
On May the 14th, Maynooth University Library will host the inaugural Pearse Hutchinson conference: Opening the Archive: A Door into Light. This event marks the end of the first year of work on the extensive Hutchinson archive, which the Library was fortunate to acquire in 2013.
This wide-ranging and fascinating collection contains material from Hutchinson’s long career, as poet, writer, critic, columnist and radio broadcaster. It also includes some truly unique and intriguing material belonging to Hutchinson’s parents, Henry Warren Hutchinson and Caitlín McElhinney, including letters from Countess Markievicz, Margaret Pearse and Eamon De Valera.
Hutchinson’s archive is gradually being catalogued and will be made available on a phased basis beginning with his English language poetry archive.
It contains early drafts of Hutchinson’s well-loved poems as well as a plethora of unpublished material from the 1940s on.
All aspects of Hutchinson’s diverse career are reflected in the collection, which includes everything from his childhood drawings, scripts from his eclectic radio show Óro Domhnaigh, letters from distinguished Irish and international writers, an assortment of ephemera from the arts and cultural events in Ireland and Hutchinson draft works showing the creative process of his writing.
This conference will be the first opportunity to view the collection, as a selection of material will be on display on the day. It will also present an occasion for scholars and enthusiasts of Hutchinson’s work to gather and share their interest in the man and his writing.
For more information on the Pearse Hutchinson Conference please see: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/library/events/pearse-hutchinson-archive-maynooth-university-library
