What’s in a name? A Visual History Celebrating the Town’s Name Change in 1920

As part of dlr LexIcon’s 10th Anniversary, we are showcasing this very popular exhibition which was first displayed in 2020. 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 to the original Irish name for Dunleary. In the years following the establishment of the Irish Free State, the use of Kingstown gradually diminished and was replaced in the consciousness of visitors and residents of the town by variants of the name – Dunleary, Dun Laoire and Dún Laoghaire.
 
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 a publication entitled What’s in a Name? Dun Leary – Kingstown – Dún Laoghaire: A Visual History, an accompanying exhibition featuring a selection of these postcards. 

Level 5, dlr LexIcon