Special Collections actively collects rare, antiquarian and contemporary books of enduring value. Major subject emphases include Irish history, culture, travel, politics and social science, with particular strengths in Limerick history and literature.

The core of the rare book holdings was established with the acquisition of three major libraries - the Norton Collection in 1997, the Leonard Collection in 2003 and the McAnally Collection in 2008. Special Collections also houses a number of smaller named collections which focus on specific subjects. These include The Patrick Lysaght Kerry Collection and The Gilsenan Yeats Collection containing printed works of William Butler Yeats.

The rare book collections can be explored via the library search. For more information on individual collections, click on the links below.

The core of the rare book holdings was established with the acquisition of three major libraries - the Norton Collection in 1997, the Leonard Collection in 2003 and the McAnally Collection in 2008. Special Collections also houses a number of smaller named collections which focus on specific subjects. These include The Patrick Lysaght Kerry Collection and The Gilsenan Yeats Collection containing printed works of William Butler Yeats.

The rare book collections can be explored via the library search. For more information on individual collections, click on the links below.

The Norton Collection is an outstanding accumulation of books, manuscripts, maps, charts, prints, photographs and postcards. It is the result of a lifetime of collecting by Dr Eamon Norton. From an old Athlone family, Dr Norton qualified as a doctor in 1949. He established his practice in Westgate End House, Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1953. The property was destined to house one of the finest Irish libraries in private ownership in the UK or Ireland.

Description of the Collection

The Norton Collection comprises over 12,000 volumes and much ephemera. The contents of the collection is practically all of Irish interest; some of the highlights include:

  • Maps and atlases by Mercator, Speed, Petty and Janson
  • A definitive collection on the Shannon
  • A collection of early Irish grammars and cathechisms
  • Nineteenth century reports, commissions and enquiries
  • A full range of county histories
  • A postcard collection of every county in Ireland (12,000 postcards)
  • A superb collection of Irish guide, travel and topographical books

The Norton Collection is listed on the Library Catalogue.

The McAnally Collection is a unique library of Irish travel, topography and heritage literature collected by the late solicitor, Mr Ciarán McAnally (1924-2004). Comprising over 5,000 items, the collection contains a great number of fascinating published and manuscript accounts of travel and exploration in Ireland from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, together with travel guidebooks, atlases and topographical works. The acquisition of this library was made possible by a generous donation by Dr Dermot Smurfit.

The Gilsenan Yeats Collection contains many rare first editions of printed works by William Butler Yeats. It features all of Yeats’ works such as The Tower, The Winding Stair, Wind among the Reeds, and Plays for an Irish Theatre.  It is one of the finest Yeats collections in Ireland, providing focus and inspiration for literary scholarship. The collection was donated to the Glucksman Library by Professor Michael Gilsenan with the aid of the American Ireland Fund.

The private library of late Dr Dónal Ó Súilleabháin,  M.A.O., F.R.C.O.G, F.R.C.S.E., a retired obstetrician gynaecologist based in Limerick city, was donated to the Glucksman Library UL, in 2016, by his family at his request. Dr Ó Súilleabháin, (a native Irish speaker who was born in Emila, Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry), over his lifetime accumulated a significant collection of Irish language published texts and other materials relating to the subjects of  Irish literature and culture. The material ranges in date from the early eighteenth century to the late twentieth century and is being catalogued at present. In addition to its relevance to linguists, the collection contains material of interest to students of cultural transmission; folklore; the Irish language revival movement; education and the history of print and communication.

In 2018, Professor Eoin O’Brien donated 250 books on the history of art to the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick. Professor O’Brien is Adjunct Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, at the Conway Institute, University College Dublin. He has published extensively in the field of medicine and history. He is also the author of several books in the arts with particular emphasis on Samuel Beckett and Nevill Johnson. This collection of books cover Irish and International art, artists, art history and art collections.  Both the volume of the collection and breadth of the subject matter will lend itself to research and further support the teaching of the history of art at the University of Limerick. The collection will be catalogued and made available in the Reading Room of the Dept. of Special Collections & Archives at the Glucksman Library.