The Brendan Kennelly Literary Archives Project
Brendan was born on the 17th April 1936 in Ballylongford, County Kerry. He was Professor of Modern Literature at Trinity College until 2005. He died on the 17th October 2021. His collection comprises 229 banker boxes of material which include drafts of published poetry; drafts of unpublished works; plays; novels; drafts of reviews, articles, speeches, essays, appreciations and tributes for colleagues and other Irish literary and cultural figures as well as material relating to his academic career and life as a public figure. It also contains translations by the author and of his work; notes for lectures; administrative records; digital and audio material; financial record comma and a large and varied correspondence.
With the support and funding of then Provost Patrick J Prendergast and The Kennelly Trust, and in partnership with the Department of English, the Library established the Brendan Kennelly Literary Archives Project in 2022 to enable research and public access to this important collection. The section of the archives which reflects the poet’s literary work is now available for consultation.
Slider images
- Brendan Kennelly standing in front of the Campanile. Private collection.
- Aer Lingus plane ticket with a poem entitled ‘Afterwards’ written on the back. IE TCD MS11333/1/51/5.
- Note written in a notebook of poetry dated 23rd June 1980. IE TCD MS 11333/1/26/1.
- Poem entitled ‘On the side of love’ written on the back of an envelope. IE TCD MS11333/1/51/26
- Photograph of Brendan Kennelly.