Join the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) Library and the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) for the launch of the Ussher Bird Notes Digital Archive! This event will provide a unique opportunity to explore the archive, learn about its features, and understand how it can be utilised for research and personal interest.
The digital archive features over 900 items from the papers of Richard J. Ussher (1841–1913), speleologist, ornithologist and the main author of ‘The Birds of Ireland: An account of the distribution, migration and habits of birds as observed in Ireland’, published by Gurney and Jackson, London in 1900.
Ussher was elected a member of the RIA in 1906 and later bequeathed his books, papers and correspondence on natural history, cave exploration, and antiquities to the RIA Library. This material, known as the ‘Ussher Bird Notes’ collection, contains approximately 9,000 items relating to over 300 bird species and provides an interesting snapshot of early twentieth-century Irish ornithology.
This project was made possible through generous funding from the Heritage Council under the Heritage Stewardship Scheme 2024.
The Heritage Stewardship Fund will enable the long-term preservation, access, and discovery of material from the Ussher Bird Notes Collection through ingest into the DRI repository.
Agenda:
- 11:00 AM: Welcome and introduction
- 11:10 AM: Short presentation on Richard J. Ussher and the digital archive
- 11:20 AM: Q&A session followed by tea/coffee and networking
We look forward to seeing you and sharing more information on this new resource.
This event takes place during National Biodiversity Week 2025.
Access requirements
Have you got any access requirements that the RIA can assist you with, so that you can fully engage with this event? Please let us know by contacting our access officer in advance of the event, by email: accessofficer@ria.ie
