What’s in a Name? Dun Leary – Kingstown – Dún Laoghaire: A Visual History

1 December 2020 - 31 August 2021

In 1821 the name Dunleary or Dun Leary was changed to Kingstown in honour of King George IV’s visit to this bustling and rapidly developing town. In 1920 it was officially given the name Dún Laoghaire, referring back to the original Irish name for Dunleary. It was a deliberate political act during the War of Independence. dlr Libraries acquired nearly 700 postcards of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area from the sale of the Seamus Kearns Collection of Postcards in 2019. These images form the basis of this exhibition and an accompanying publication of the same name (available for €10.00 at dlr LexIcon or Dubray Books) plus a number of talks and videos to mark the centenary. A series of new Lesson Plans for Primary Schools has also been prepared by Dr Séamus Cannon and Ríonach O Callaghan in association with Blackrock Education Centre - see https://www.scoilnet.ie/go-to-primary/theme-pages/history/placenames/

Supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 programme.