Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures. This was the Academy's Heritage Week lecture 2014, introduced by Prof. Mary E. Daly, Academy President. The speaker contextualises the surveying of Ireland on the 6" scale: the survey was attempting to define boundaries for taxation purposes and to portray the country on an unprecedented scale, using scientific methods, rigorous standards and a highly systematised approach. The maps were to provide a full record of the living landscape. The maps would be authoritative and have legal standing. Colby drew up a Code of Instructions for the military and civilian surveyors; these were amended over time to cater for unforeseen issues. Larcom was responsible for the recruitment of linguists and antiquarian scholars for the Memoir and Placenames work. There was a clear chain of command and strong discipline. Training was to a high standard. The latest instruments were purchased and problems with triangulation, particularly of the Great Central Plain, were resolved. New instruments were developed. Contour lines were used. Placenames were recorded even if they were not to be used. Every piece of information was allocated a source. Issues arose of what should be included or omitted on the map, e.g. gravestones (omitted). How would the railways be superimposed on the maps? How should water-land boundaries be shown? (the Crown had foreshore rights, thus this was a key decision). How do you define a footpath? Revisions proved difficult, budgeting was very tight, there was pressure from various groups, e.g. industrialists, the railways, the Memoir group. Printing brought its own set of problems, and sales were necessary to enable the project to continue. These and many other issues facing the Survey are discussed in the course of this lecture.

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Accompanied by a powerpoint presentation. Lecture on the genesis and thrust of the great 6" Survey of Ireland by the Ordnance Survey: the maps, memoirs, letters and technical innovations which resulted. The subsequent applications of the maps for Griffith's Valuation, electoral boundary maps and other surveys; the heritage for academic research.

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Please see accompanying powerpoint. http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/paul-walsh-george-petries-topographical-department-183542-15102014 Walsh explains the context for the Memoirs, an intrinsic element of the 6" mapping project. Larcom had described the connection between the maps and the Memoir as a 'Portrait of the island of Ireland ... accompanied by a biography'. He examines Larcom's utilitarian perspective, the role of the OS engineers and their mathematical skills and the focus on the parish as the unit for surveying and description. The sections of what became known as the Topographical Dept. are described as well as the reporting systems in place. The pressures caused by budgetary overruns etc. and the ensuing political decisions re the Memoir scheme and its demise are discussed. In conclusion, the work of the 19th-century surveyors is connected to the current work of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Lecture delivered by Paul Walsh on behalf of Prof. Ó Muraíle. Please use the accompanying handout (http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/handout-murale) when following this lecture and see accompanying powerpoint presentation. http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/n-murale-8-oct This paper addresses the difficulties of naming places in Ireland, the work done by the OS Topographical Dept. and especially John O'Donovan to ensure that names used on the 6" maps were as accurate as possible. The difficulties presented by the Irish language, the methodologies used by Placenames staff and the tensions between accommodating the Irish language origins or versions of names and later Anglicised forms are discussed, as are the compromises which were made. The accuracy of O'Donovan's method is assessed.

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Cullen discusses the OS map of Dublin (1847) which casts a 'window on the city'. This map was made by military surveyors with civil assistants. They were empowered to enter and survey private property, this ensuring that the backs of buildings could be more accurately plotted on the map. Flower beds, sewers and water mains all feature on the map; the detail is astonishing. The methodology employed and the detailed processes of verification of drafts, revisiting sites and correcting the originals are discussed. The map was hugely popular, so many members of the public turned up at Mountjoy House, HQ of the Ordnance Survey, to make tracings that an order had to be made to stop them! For more on the Dublin 1847 map see Frank Cullen, '

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Please see accompanying powerpoint. http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/rob-goodbody-from-rocque-to-the-ordnance-survey-mapping-dublin-17561847-05112014 This paper addresses the mapping of Dublin city from John Rocque's map of 1756 down to the OS mapping of the city 1830-40s, all within the canal ring. Outlining the limitations and exigencies of mapping in different periods, the various types of map, from estate maps, street directories, administrative maps etc., Goodbody surveys the mapping heritage of the city interpreting the maps under discussion, highlighting idiosyncracies and pointing to the developments in mapping the city. For more information see Rob Goodbody, 'Dublin: part III: 1756-1847 (Irish Historic Towns Atlas, 26) (Dublin, 2014)

Mapping City, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lunchtime Lectures Please see accompanying powerpoint. http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/prof-michael-herity-mria-john-odonovans-work-for-the-os-29102014 Herity focusses on the period 1830-61 and O'Donovan's involvement with the OS 6" mapping project and the centrality of his role. His expertise in the Irish language and grasp of etymology, as well as his intimate knowledge of the history and antiquities of Ireland, resulted in the connection of 'placenames with history... raising them above mere words'. The importance of O'Donovan's fieldwork, keen ear, in-depth knowledge and forensic research are described, as are the treks he engaged in on a daily basis throughout the country. His connection with Petrie's work on Tara is adverted to. Betham's vituperative criticisms and the consequent scrutiny of the Memoir scheme and the OS work is discussed. Examples are provided of O'Donovan's linguistic prowess and his acerbic wit.

A series of lectures on the momentous events of 1014, Brian Boru, the Vikings in Ireland and much more, also the focus of an exhibition which was based on the Library collections

Humanities Series: A series of lectures on the momentous events of 1014, Brian Boru, the Vikings in Ireland and much more, also the focus of an exhibition which was based on the Library collections

Speaker: Professor Jon Vidar Sigurdsson, University of Oslo A series of lectures on the momentous events of 1014, Brian Boru, the Vikings in Ireland and much more, also the focus of an exhibition which was based on the Library collections

Mapping city, town and country since 1824: the Ordnance Survey in Ireland - RIA Library/IHTA Lecture Series. http://www.slideshare.net/theroyalirishacademy/colin-bray-ce-osi-ordnance-survey-ireland-mapping-our-future-19112014 In the concluding lecture in the series, Colin Bray reviews the history of the Ordnance Survey in Ireland, the developments during the 20th and 21st centuries and looks ahead to the future of the Survey.