DOI: 10.7925/drs1.ivrla_34550
title: Tierney/MacNeill Photographs

description: Collection of over 500 images, mostly single photographs but also some newspaper cuttings and a commercial photo album. The largest parts of the collection relate to the political and academic careers of Eoin MacNeill and his son-in-law Michael Tierney, with a strong emphasis on important events at University College, Dublin between 1943 and 1965, such as presentations, conferrals, openings, and ceremonies to mark developments on the new campus at Belfield. Smaller series of photographs contain private family shots.
description: The photographs have been arranged more or less chronologically and according to the various parts of Tierney’s and MacNeill’s lives. Sections A-D concern Tierney and Section E concerns MacNeill. Section F concerns the Moores, Eoin MacNeill’s wife’s family. Printed material has been arranged separately and cross-referenced where appropriate.
description: Scope and Content: The photographs were collected by the Tierney family. While the collection includes some images of family life, it concerns mostly the public lives of Eoin MacNeill and Michael Tierney, notably around University College, Dublin.
description: Provenance: Michael Tierney, 1894-1975
description: Acquisition Information: The Michael Tierney Papers [LA30] were deposited in the Archives Department, UCD, in July 1983 and the Tierney/MacNeill Photographs [this collection: LA30/PH] in November 1997. The papers and photographs have been deposited by the Tierney family, primarily Eibhlín Tierney (née MacNeill), Michael’s widow, and their children, Niall and Brídín. The Tierney Papers are described in a separate descriptive list. Parts of them have also been digitised by the IVRLA (see the IVRLA Collection: "Papers of Michael Tierney".
description: In addition the Archives Department holds a very large collection of papers of Eoin MacNeill, Eibhlín Tierney’s father, deposited at various stages by the family, mainly Eibhlín Tierney and her sister Eilis McDowell, and Brídín Tierney, or transferred from the College Library where they had been deposited before the establishment of this department. The MacNeill Papers are the subject of a series of descriptive lists [LA1/AS].
description: Processing Information: Listed by Kate Manning, 1998
description: Revised by the Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA), 2008.
description: Biographical History: Michael Tierney was born in Esker, County Galway in 1894, the son of a small farmer. He attended St. Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe, County Galway (LA30/PH/239) and entered University College, Dublin (UCD) in October 1911. He graduated in 1914 with a first class honours degree in Ancient Classics. Two years later he was awarded his MA degree, and he worked as an assistant lecturer in Greek from 1918 to 1919 and 1920 to 1922 (LA30/63-69). In 1917 he won a Travelling Studentship in Classics (LA30/47-49) and used it to study in Paris, Athens and Berlin from 1919 to 1921 (LA30/50-62). He was appointed to the Chair of Greek in 1922, aged 28.
description: Tierney joined the Irish Volunteers in 1913 at a public meeting at the Rotunda Rink in Dublin, which formally inaugurated the organisation and was chaired by Eoin MacNeill. Tierney became a regular visitor to MacNeill’s home after MacNeill’s release from prison and in 1923 he married Eibhlín (LA30/PH/254), one of MacNeill’s daughters. From 1925 until 1927, Tierney was an elected member of Dáil Éireann for North Mayo (with the Cumann na nGaedheal party] (LA30/305-317), and from 1927 until 1932, he was elected for the National University of Ireland (LA30/321-339). He was a member of the Senate from 1938 until 1944 and of the Council of State from 1940 until 1945.
description: In his introduction to Tierney’s biography of Eoin MacNeill, F.X. Martin points out the seeming contradictions in Tierney’s nature: the authoritarian President of UCD, and the liberal free thinker as evidenced by his book Education in a Free Ireland (1919); his opposition in 1929 to the Censorship Act (LA30/333-334), and his advocacy for autonomy of universities from state control. Throughout his life, he regarded Trinity College, Dublin as ‘an alien element’ (1) and advocated the merger of Trinity College with UCD (LA30/424-425).
description: Standing as a testament to Tierney’s single-mindedness and strength of character is the UCD campus at Belfield. He managed to develop his personal vision of the university despite the sheer logistics involved in accommodating a college that was growing at an enormous rate. In 1962, de Valera, as President of Ireland, cut the first sod ‘in brilliant sunshine before a massed open-air gathering … ’ (2)
description: The President’s Report of 1974-5, in its obituary of Michael Tierney states the following: ‘In relation to the College Faculties, Dr. Tierney, a classical scholar, was a living rebuttal of the “two cultures” concept. He had a very particular care for the scientific and professional faculties. During his presidency the problems of academic control of clinical teaching in medicine were largely solved; the Lyons estate of 1300 acres was purchased for the Faculty of Agriculture; additional space in Merrion Street particularly for engineering was obtained by internal reconstruction; the ruinous buildings of the Earlsfort Terrace façade were repaired to give much needed temporary accommodation for the library and the School of Architecture: and the Great Hall was redecorated and brought into general use for conferring ceremonies, examinations and other large occasions.’
description: 1) F.X. Martin, ' Michael Tierney, 1894-1975' in Michael Tierney, Eoin MacNeill: Scholar and Man of Action 1867-1945 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980), p. xi.
description: 2) Ibid., p. xiii.
description: Funded by the Higher Education Authority, Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions (PRTLI), Cycle 3.