The Curious Case of the Mayo Librarian by Pat Walsh

Mercier Press, Limited, The. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.

2009. Cork, Mercier Press, 2009. 20 cm. 223 pages. Illustrated. Softcover. Excellent condition with only minor signs of external wear. Letitia Dunbar-Harrison (4 February 1906 – 1994) was an Irish librarian who became the subject of a controversy over her appointment. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, she is the subject of the 2009 book by Pat Walsh, The Curious Case of the Mayo Librarian, and a RTÉ documentary of the same name. In 1930, a vacancy for county librarian arose in County Mayo, the county with the smallest non-Catholic minority in Ireland. Dunbar-Harrison was recommended for the role by the Local Appointments Commission. The Library Committee of Mayo County Council, mostly consisting of prominent local Catholics as well as a bishop, refused to endorse the recommendation, claiming her grasp of Irish was inadequate. During the debate, it was asked "could a Protestant be trusted to hand out books to Catholics?". The County Council accordingly did not sanction her nomination. In… Read More