Seán Lysaght Papers

Repository: Glucksman Library University of Limerick

Identity Statement

TitleSeán Lysaght Papers
Archive ReferenceIE 2135 P18
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/sean-lysaght-papers
Creation Dates1975-2000
Extent Medium5 Boxes

Context

Creator(s): Lysaght, Seán (1957-)

  • Administrative History ↴

    Seán Lysaght was born in 1957 and grew up in Limerick. He was educated at UCD, where he received a BA and an MA in Anglo-Irish Literature. He spent several years in Switzerland and Germany before returning to Ireland to teach and pursue further studies at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. In 1996, he received a PhD for his biographical study of Irish natural historian Robert Lloyd Praeger, which was published two years later by the Four Courts Press as Robert Lloyd Praeger: The Life of a Naturalist. He now lives in Westport and lectures at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. Lysaght’s early ventures into poetry won acknowledgment in 1975 at the North Cork Writers’ Festival in Doneraile, where he received first prize in the under 18 category with his poems The Geese, Sacrilege and They Cast off Youth. He also won an award at the annual Patrick Kavanagh poetry festival in 1985. Lysaght’s first collection of poems, Noah’s Irish Ark, was published in 1989 by the Dedalus Press. His second collection, The Clare Island Survey (Gallery, 1991) was nominated for The Irish Times/ Aer Lingus poetry award. In 2007, Lysaght received the prestigious O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry. His work draws heavily on the natural world, combined with allusions to literature and legend. According to Lysaght, ‘poetry should be a negotiation between what we know to be our limits and the revelation of something we didn’t even realise was there in the first place.’
  • Archival History ↴

    Donated by Seán Lysaght to the University of Limerick on 15 April 2004
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Donation

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Lysaght, Seán (1957-) ↴

    Published works (including essays, poetry and book reviews) and correspondence with publishing companies, journals and newspapers illustrating Lysaght’s early development and maturing as a poet.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Arrangement ↴

    The material has been divided by type into three series:

    Series A comprises letters, mainly from the editors of literary journals and publishing companies relating to the publication of individual poems, essays and book reviews, and correspondence relating to other works, including Lysaght’s unsuccessful attempts to find a publisher for a novel. Some private correspondence with poets and academics is also included in this section.

    Series B comprises mainly press cuttings of articles, book reviews and poems written by Lysaght and published in various Irish newspapers.

    Series C contains mainly journals incorporating Lysaght’s poems, essays and book reviews.

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions Governing ReproductionSeán Lysaght retains all proprietary rights and copyright in his published and unpublished writings. Those materials may not be duplicated or reproduced without written permission from Seán Lysaght. Please contact the staff at Special Collections for contact details. Reproduction of any items dated after 1978 containing personal information is also prohibited. For photocopying other material, please consult with the staff at Special Collections.
Creation Dates1975-2000
Extent Medium5 Boxes
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Characteristics Tech ReqPaper documents in good condition.
Finding Aids A hard copy of the descriptive catalogue is available at the University of Limerick Special Collections. An online version may be accessed at http://www2.ul.ie/pdf/932781087.pdf Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialPublished works by Seán Lysaght other than those forming part of this collection are available in the Special Collections and the Main Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick. Please consult the library catalogue.

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteAnna-Maria Hajba
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
Date of Descriptions39783