Irish Historical Mysteries: Review of The National Library of Ireland (2009)
Cover of The National Library of Ireland (2009, now withdrawn)
In June 2009
the National Library of Ireland released an illustrated 96-page book
(technically really a booklet) showcasing its holdings, entitled The National Library of Ireland.
(1) While Scala Publishers were listed as the main publishers, the
compilation of the material in the book was the responsibility of the
National Library. There was no specified editor, a significant omission
as we shall see, but the acknowledgements state that Elizabeth Kirwan,
Assistant Keeper, and Stacey Herbert, Consultant, 'carried out the
research for the book and coordinated its production'. Soon after the
launch of the book, a few concerned individuals apparently informed the
National Library that it contained serious errors, as a result of which
the publication was quietly withdrawn in September 2009. The book carried a glowing
bilingual foreword in Irish and English by the then Library Director, Aongus Ó hAonghusa, who
appeared to be oblivious to the publication's defects. One reviewer
with connections to the repository enthusiastically described the work as 'a truly
delightful publication which
will be treasured by all who know and love our National Library'. (2)
The matter might have been rapidly forgotten had not the state's
spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General, taken an
interest. In his 2010 report issued in September 2011,
the Comptroller revealed that the cost of the withdrawn book was
€98,000, with ancillary expenses of €33,000. Furthermore, it was found
that the successful tender to research the book was accepted by a
Library staff member a day after its receipt in April 2008, but that
there was no documentary evidence of any evaluation, and furthermore
there was no evidence that three unsuccessful tenders received later
had been evaluated. The Comptroller's conclusion was damning: 'Due to
the level of errors and other defects, the National Library of Ireland
was obliged to withdraw a book from publication, which had cost almost
€98,000 to produce. There was a failure to carry out the related
procurement of research services in an open and competitive way.' (3)
Hard as it is to believe, just a week before the flawed book contract
had been issued, another Comptroller's report issued in April 2008 had concluded
in relation to the National Library's conduct of the controversial
Finnegans Wake manuscripts transaction that 'the
circumstances surrounding the sourcing of the material and the level of
interaction that is inevitable within a limited community of
persons in a specialised field strongly suggests that more robust
contractual and ethical arrangements may be required to protect the
State's interests where such factors come into play'. (4) Stacey Herbert's name had been mentioned in the course of the Finnegans Wake
manuscripts affair, in that she worked on state-funded projects with
Laura Barnes, who is believed to have made a profit of about €750,000
in selling the manuscripts to the Library in 2005, and Herbert was
formerly married to Dr Luca Crispi, who advised the Library on the manuscripts sale
in his capacity as its Joyce Scholar (there is no suggestion that
Barnes or Crispi had any involvement in the withdrawn book affair). It
is also only fair to point out that blame for the National
Library book fiasco cannot be placed on the shoulders of Dr Herbert alone, as
ultimate responsibility lies with the institution's management, board and
senior staff.
The
Comptroller's 2011 report did not specify the withdrawn book's many
factual errors,
but here are some of the more glaring, drawn from media reports, (5) a
limited Freedom of Information release and the writer's own
observations. The book locates the Botanic Gardens not in Glasnevin
but in the vicinity of Leinster House (page 6), a
pre-Norman deed is erroneously described as dating 'from the arrival
of the Normans in Ireland' and said to refer to something called the
'Ormond family' (page 25), the Custom House in Dublin is confused with
the Four Courts (page 35), an early seventeenth-century map of Mountjoy
Fort is wrongly identified as relating to Armagh (page 39), a 1685 illustration of
Limerick is incorrectly captioned as being of Galway (page 40), St Anne's
Shandon is erroneously described as the 'Cork Church of Ireland
Cathedral' (page 81), a
photograph of children of humbler origin is
identified as portraying members of the aristocratic Dillon family
(inside back cover).
View of Limerick incorrectly identified as of Galway (National Library of Ireland, 2009, page 40)
The
book under review also contains a very unsatisfactory treatment of
a volume of particular interest to the writer, namely, O'Ferrall's
Linea Antiqua, part of the Genealogical Office manuscripts series, the
said office being a department of the National Library (although it
purports to be an ancient office of state founded in 1552, the year
when Ulster's Office was established). The
book commentary declares that the volume 'contains coats of arms of
Gaelic
families' which 'are not known to exist elsewhere' (National Library of Ireland,
2009, page
22). This gives an exaggerated impression of exclusiveness of content,
as the arms in the Linea Antiqua refer
to Anglo-Norman as well as Gaelic families and most of
them are are to be found in other sources. Over the past few decades
access to
Genealogical Office manuscripts has been refused to outsiders or hindered on various
pretexts, but in
March 2012 and at very short notice the bulk of the older or Ulster's
Office portion of the records were
withdrawn on 'conservation' grounds and applicants are now directed to
poor quality black and white microfilm copies. (6) The writer's
research and educational work, with which Library management is well
familiar, has been particularly damaged by this action, and in
particular an ongoing study of the Linea Antiqua has had to be
suspended.
Remarkably, a similar and well regarded book to the
one under review had been published by the Library in 1994, entitled Treasures from the National Library of Ireland, edited by senior staff member Noel Kissane and with text written by specialist staff, (7)
begging the question as to why this publication had not been updated
rather than duplicated, and duplicated so very badly in places. Indeed
the present writer has found that some of the text of the withdrawn
2009 book has actually been plagiarised from the earlier 1994 publication.
Compare for example the following accounts of Diarmait Mac Murchadha:
The
turbulent Mac Murchada (1110-1171), best known for bringing Strongbow
(Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, 1130-1176) and the Normans to
Ireland,
had mixed relations with the Church. He was honoured by St Bernard
of Clairvaux and was instrumental in founding at least three abbeys. (National Library of
Ireland, 2009, page 25.)
The
turbulent Mac Murchada (1110-71), who is best known for his role in
bringing the Normans to Ireland, had mixed relations with the Church.
He was honoured
by St Bernard of Clairvaux, and was instrumental in founding at least three abbeys. (Treasures from the National Library of Ireland, 1994, page 137.)
A description of the medieval theologian Franz von Retz similarly is copied almost verbatim and without acknowledgement:
Franz
von Retz (c.1343-1427) was a Dominican theologian who taught at Vienna
University. His text 'A Defence of the Inviolate Virginity of Blessed
Mary' is based
on quotations from such authorities as Albertus Magnus, St Augustine and Isodore of Seville . . . (National Library of Ireland, 2009, page 20.)
Franz von Retz (c.1343-1427) was a Dominican theologian who taught at Vienna University. His text ('a defence of the inviolate virginity of Blessed Mary') is based on quotations from such authorities as Albertus Magnus, St Augustine and Isodore of Seville. (Treasures from the National Library of Ireland, 1994, page 142.)
The account of the antiquary and artist George Petrie contains echoes of Wikipedia (which of course is a source whose own contributors have been known to resort to plagiarism):
.
. . Petrie was fundamental to the work of the Royal Irish Academy,
revitalizing its antiquities committee and acquiring a number of key
relics, including a copy
of the Annals of the Four Masters, the Cross
of Cong, examples of insular metalwork, and early Irish manuscripts.
Petrie became known as 'the father of Irish
archaeology', and his
writings on early Irish archaeology and architecture, including his
book The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland (1845), are still
considered
significant contributions to the field. (National Library of
Ireland, 2009, page 12.)
In the late 1820s and 1830s, Petrie
significantly revitalised the Royal Irish Academy's antiquities
committee. He was responsible for their acquisition of many
important
Irish manuscripts, including an autograph copy of the Annals of the
Four Masters, as well as examples of insular metalwork, including the
Cross of Cong. His writings on early Irish archaeology and architecture
were of great significance, especially his Essay on the Round Towers of
Ireland, which appeared in his 1845 book titled The Ecclesiastical
Architecture of Ireland. He is often called "the father of Irish
archaeology". (Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Petrie_(artist), accessed 19 June
2012.)
Technical details relating to the seventeenth-century Down Survey are again worded in a strikingly similar way to a Wikipedia article:
Considered about 87 per cent accurate, the Down Survey used a scale of 40 perches to an inch, one perch equalling 21 feet (6.4 m). This method was used widely in rural Ireland up to the nineteenth century; sorting out the precise details was left usually to the legal profession. (National Library of Ireland, 2009, page 28.)
The
method used was one of surveying the boundaries of parishes, the block
of townlands inside those boundaries was not usually detailed. The
scale used was
generally 40 Irish perches to an inch (sometimes 80
perches), one perch equalling 21 feet (6.4 m). This land survey method
was used widely in rural Ireland up to
the nineteenth century and
sorting out the precise details was left usually to the legal
profession. As a result, the Down Survey is considered to be about 87%
accurate. (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_Survey, accessed 19 June 2012.)
On
the scale of plagiarism, lifting material from Wikipedia or allied
websites is about as
low as one can get and is certainly not acceptable in the case of a
publication compiled at considerable cost for one of Ireland's
premier cultural institutions. The
affair of the withdrawn book shows that the Library has tended to
choose
favoured insiders, even if this involved subversion of
the tendering process. Was there nobody on the staff of the
National Library capable of recognising what a disaster the book under
review would be? Apparently not. Someone with a reasonable knowledge of
Ireland's history and culture, such as the present writer, would
have quickly alerted the Library to problems if asked to scan the
drafts of the book, but that of course would require swallowing of
copious amounts of pride and facing up to personal limitations. It
might be asked why the present writer
persistently contributes negative reviews such as the present one,
rather than
engaging 'constructively' in the work of the National Library. The
answer
is firstly that although I performed contract consultancy and training
work for the Library in the past, I was effectively
professionally blacked following
my exposure of the Mac Carthy Mór hoax in 1999. Note: It is only fair to
record that this embargo was broken on 1 August 2012, when for the
first time in thirteen years I was commissioned (by a contracted third
party) to give a genealogical talk in the Library, and I am certainly ready and
willing to continue this kind of work.
Following
a Freedom of Information application relating to the withdrawn book in
2011, which involved payment of significant fees, the National Library
released some records to the writer as indicated, but refused to part
with the most important documents, including the successful book tender
and related contract and its own internal report and allied
documentation. One document which was released is an e-mail dated
October 2009 in which senior Arts Department official Niall Ó Donnchú
told National Library Director Ó hAonghusa that action on the
flawed book should be 'frozen' pending answers to certain queries, (8)
an extraordinary intervention in the affairs of a supposedly autonomous
body
which was not accepted. In June 2010 Library Board Chairman David
Harvey informed Culture Department Secretary General Con Haugh that
'despite previous assurances provided to you and the Department, the
management and procurement structures within the National Library are
woefully inadequate and require thorough re-evaluation and
restructuring.' (9)
I
have admittedly pressed the National
Library hard on various cases via the Freedom of Information avenue,
and in addition to an attempt to stigmatise applications as 'frivolous'
and 'vexatious', another recent reaction has been a successful attempt
to damage me in one of my modest employments, freelance writing. In a
move recalling similar actions during the period of my exposure of
the Mac Carthy Mór hoax in 1999-2000, (10) someone at senior level in
the
Library complained in or about February 2012 to a magazine to which I
have contributed concerning
my FOI applications, even though I always make these on a strictly
individual basis and pay all fees personally. This manoeuvre concerns
me, as the current Library regime likes to present itself as something
of a new broom, yet is apparently just as prone to sweeping things
under the carpet as its predecessors.
Having considered my
position and the undoubted ability of well connected persons in the
Library to create further difficulties, I
have decided not to retreat from commentary and accordingly publish the
present review
on my own website. As usual, any demonstrated errors of fact will be
corrected promptly. While the records withheld by the National Library
would undoubtedly throw light on the
outstanding mysteries in the case of the withdrawn book, I am not in a
position to pay the €150 fee to support an FOI appeal to the
Information Commissioner and so must let the matter drop, at least for
the present. As much
as one appreciates the institution and the assistance of its frontline
staff over many years, the affair of the withdrawn book has tended to
confirm my view
that for some time the National Library has been run as a closed shop
by individuals not always possessing the ethical formation and cultural
and technical knowledge necessary to carry out their duties
properly. Something needs to be done about these issues, and
certainly it is not
acceptable for Library management to seek to silence or punish an
external critic and longstanding reader who has gone to the trouble to
chronicle affairs such
as the 2009 book debacle.
Sean Murphy
12 July 2012, last amended 8 August
References
(1) The National Library of Ireland/Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann, Scala Publishers, London 2009, ISBN-13: 978 1 85759 557 4, 96 pages, illustrated.
(2) Review of same by Felix M Larkin, Irish Arts Review, vol 26, no 3, Autumn 2009, pages 120-21.
(3) Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General [2010], vol 1, 2011, pages 107-10, http://www.audgen.gov.ie/documents/annualreports/2010/2010_Volume_1_EN(1.01).pdf, accessed 27 June 2012.
(4) See 'The Trade in Joyce Manuscripts' on the present website at http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/joyce.htm.
(5) See Colm Coyle, 'Brought to Book', Sunday Times (Irish Edition), 25 September 2011, page 10, also 'Who's to Blame at the National Library?', Phoenix, 7 October 2011, page 20; the writer is quoted in the first article and contributed to the second.
(6) See 'The Records of Ulster's Office' on the present website at http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/studies/ulster.pdf.
(7) Noel Kissane, Editor, Treasures From the National Library of Ireland, Boyne Valley Honey Company, [Drogheda]1994, ISBN 0 951782 34 7, 243 pages, illustrated.
(8)
Niall Ó Donnchú, Assistant Secretary General, Department of Arts, Sport
and Tourism, to Aongus Ó hAonghusa, Director, National Library of
Ireland, e-mail 16 October 2009 (National Library of Ireland FOI release).
(9)
David Harvey, Chairman, Board of National Library of Ireland, to Con
Haugh, Secretary General, Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport,
letter 21 June 2010 (National Library of
Ireland FOI release). The recent changes of name of this government
department have admittedly been somewhat bewildering, from Arts, Sport
and Tourism, to Tourism, Culture and Sport, to the current Arts,
Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
(10) See 'The Mac Carthy Mór Hoax' on the present website at http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/maccarthy.htm.