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UCC Library now Re-opened.

Both Boole and Brookfield BHSL Libraries have re-opened with the safety of Library users and staff as our chief guiding principle.

Please see our policies and important changes regarding re-opening here

Special Collections & Archives' Outreach & Engagement: Digitised Henebry / O'Neill Wax Cylinders

How Special Collections & Archives interacts with the world.

Henebry O'Neill Wax Cylinder Collection

UCC's Wax Cylinder Collection consists of two series of cylinders:

  • One series are American in origin, recorded by Captain Francis O’Neill in Chicago prior to 1905. They consist of recordings of some of the best known Chicago-Irish musicians of the day, including the pipers Patsy Touhey and James Early. and the fiddle player James McFadden. These were sent to Professor Henebry as a birthday present in 1907.
  • The second series Henebry recorded as part of a scheme funded in 1911. Almost all of this collection was made in the Déise region of Waterford, and as such comprises the earliest field recordings of Irish traditional music and singing.

Samples of Tunes

"The Steam Packet & Jenny Picking Cockles" was collected by Rev. Dr. Richard Henebry. It is an example of a reel and was performed by Tomás Ó Huigín. A PDF Transcription of the music may be downloaded here. 

"Green's Hornpipe" was collected by Francis O'Neill. It is an example of a hornpipe and was performed by John McFadden. A PDF Transcription of the music may be downloaded here. 

Media

Further Information

Opening Hours

Following Government directives that higher education institutions should close, UCC physical campus is closed. If you have any queries relating to our collections please email specialcollectionsarchives@ucc.ie as this email address will be monitored regularly. 

Face-to-face services at Special Collections & Archives have resumed in a limited capacity as of 20 July 2020: Monday-Friday 10-12:45. Please note that we will have reduced capacity due to social distancing measures, and access will be by appointment only. Walk-ins and same-day requests will not be possible. To book items & a workspace please click HERE.

UCC Library's new Scan and Deliver Service is now live! Submit a request and we'll scan a book chapter/journal article and deliver it to you via email. There will be limited access to material from Special Collections. Every effort will be made to fulfill requests but this may not always be possible due to availability, copyright restrictions, size and condition of materials.