Special Collections
Belfast Central Library, since its foundation in 1888, has built up an outstanding collection of rare books, manuscripts and archives, which now constitute its special collections. Among these are
Archives
Incunabula – books printed before 1500 A.D.
Early Belfast Printed Books and Pamphlets
Irish Language Manuscripts
Literary Manuscripts
Maps and Plans
Postcards and Photographs
Rare books
Theatre and Cinema collections
F. J Bigger Library and Archive
F.J. Bigger was born in Belfast, in 1863. A practising solicitor, his interest was chiefly in Irish antiquities rather than law and he devoted his life to the study of Irish archaeology and Ulster history. A member of the Royal Irish Academy, he also edited the Ulster Journal of Archaeology and published works relating to Irish penal crosses, the Ulster Land War of 1770 and William Orr, a Northern United Irishman. His particular interests included the history of Belfast, the United Irish rebellion and the Irish language. He died in 1926.
Belfast Public Libraries holds his private library of three thousand volumes, which includes books, journals, newspapers, pamphlets and maps from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century relating to many aspects of Irish history and culture. Belfast Public Libraries also holds a collection of some 40,000 items comprising his personal papers and correspondence. Particular items of interest include the manuscripts for a prospective series of pamphlets on Northern United Irishmen, only one of which was ever published and a large collection of notes, articles and illustrations relating to Ulster towns and places. The collection of his personal letters contains correspondence with Lord Downshire, the Emmet family, Sir Samuel Ferguson and Alice Milligan amongst many others.
Map Collection
Belfast Central Library has a fine collection of maps, both contemporary and antiquarian. Various Ordnance Survey map series for Ireland are held from the 1830s onwards.
The collection includes approximately fifty general maps of Belfast and fifty specialized maps relating to the city. There are also many specialist subject maps, covering a diverse range of topics from coal mines in Ireland to the railway system in the nineteenth century.
The library also holds an excellent collection of over 400 early Irish maps dating from the sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century. These include maps by Blaeu, Mercator, Petty and Speed.
Theatre Collection
The theatre collection consists of approximately three thousand Irish theatre bills, programmes and other ephemeral items. These include a particularly fine collection of Theatre Royal material, but other Belfast theatres, ranging from the Alhambra to the Hippodrome are also extensively covered. A wide range of material is available on the Ulster Literary theatre. Material from other provincial centres and Dublin is also included in the collection.As an historical collection it is quite comprehensive, and the newspaper reviews, posters and programmes date from 1821 onwards.The modern material in the collection covers the Grove, Arts, Group, Waterfront and Lyric theatres.
