This online exhibition explores how fragile records of Ireland’s amateur drama heritage are cared for, preserved and made accessible through TUS Library Archives & Special Collections. Drawing on the Brendan O’Brien Collection, it follows the paper trail left behind after performance: programmes, postcards, letters, reports and handwritten notes.
Brendan O’Brien was the first director of the All-Ireland Drama Festival, established in Athlone in 1953. Alongside PJ Lenihan, he was instrumental in bringing the festival to Athlone in the first place — part of a wider wave of local festivals set up after the Second World War to boost tourism and community life. Over the following decades O’Brien corresponded with major figures in Irish theatre and public life, from playwrights and actors to government ministers and presidents, all preserved in the collection that carries his name.
The Brendan O’Brien Collection was donated to TUS Archives & Special Collections in May 2023 by his son, former Librarian Gearóid O’Brien, and covers the festival’s history from 1953 to 1982.
What Survives After Performance
Programmes, letters, photographs and records preserve the traces of Ireland’s amateur stage. These items help us understand the people, places and communities behind the performances.
Programmes and Posters
Printed material records the plays, venues, performers and communities that brought amateur drama to public attention.
Festival Records
Tickets, programmes, results and reports preserve festival detail, connecting performances, audiences, venues and adjudication together.
Letters and Postcards
Correspondence preserves personal connections and decisions, revealing the behind-the-scenes work that brought festivals to life.
Why is this Heritage at risk?
Brendan O’Brien understood the value of what he was part of, and kept his own records of the festival with real care — diaries, correspondence, programmes and reports, gathered deliberately over decades. That foresight is exactly why this collection exists at all. But not every amateur company or festival organiser had a Brendan O’Brien. Across Ireland, equivalent material from other groups and venues has far more often been lost, discarded, or simply never kept in the first place — amateur drama was never collected nationally the way professional theatre was.
Even carefully kept personal records like this one aren’t safe by default. Paper deteriorates, ink fades, folders left in a drawer or shed are vulnerable to damp, pests and accidental loss over time — no matter how well-intentioned the original collector was. One seating plan for the original Sportex Hall venue is thought to be the only surviving copy anywhere. Archives exist to take that fragile, privately-kept material and give it lasting, professional protection — so one person’s foresight doesn’t have to be the only thing standing between this history and being lost.
Our Preservation Journey
Behind every item in the archive is a process of care. This journey shows how fragile records are received, organised, protected, described, digitised and shared.
1. Received
Collections arrive from donors and are checked for context, condition and care.
2. Organised
Material is sorted carefully to keep links between people, items and events.
3. Rehoused
Fragile papers are rehoused in folders and boxes to prevent further damage.
4. Described
Records and metadata are created so each item can be found and understood.
5. Digitised
Selected items are digitised to reduce handling and support wider access.
6. Shared
Digital records are shared online through DRI, exhibitions and engagement.
Explore the Collection
Continue exploring the Brendan O’Brien Collection and related amateur drama material through the links below. These resources provide access to digitised collection items, previous online exhibitions and related stories from TUS Library Archives & Special Collections.
Help Preserve Ireland’s Amateur Drama Heritage
Do you have programmes, photographs, correspondence or other records connected with amateur drama in Ireland? These materials can help preserve the stories of local performers, festivals and communities for future generations.
Get in touch with TUS Library Archives & Special Collections to discuss your collection.
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TUS Archive & Special Collections presents an online exhibition exploring the RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival through selected material from the Brendan O’Brien Collection.
