This collection documents sculptures that comprise part of the University College Dublin art collection. Many of these sculptures have featured in the UCD Sculpture Trail. The UCD Sculpture Trail comprises public works of art that are an integral part of the urban fabric of the university, enriching the sense of place and the physical beauty of the natural environment. Varying in style and material, the collection is representative of national and internationally renowned artists including John Burke, Jason Ellis, Thomas Glendon, James Hogan, Kevin O'Dwyer, Bob Quinn and Giorgio Zennaro.

Textual and visual material consisting mainly of notes, drawings and plans, documenting early Christian Irish art, its inspiration and the extent of its influence in Europe, in areas including architecture, sculpture, manuscripts, metalwork, ivory and textiles.

in Oliver Sheppard's workshop.

In Oliver Sheppard's workshop.

[Photograph of the sculptor Albert Power working on a bust of James Stephens.]

[Photograph of the sculptor Albert Power working on a bust of James Stephens, as Stephens looks on.]

The presentation is based on my own experience as an artist/practitioner and the experience gained as Director/curator of Sculpture in the Parklands working with both Irish and international artists who have created new artworks that respond to the rich environmental, archaeological and industrial history of Lough Boora, County Offaly. For over 25 years my artwork has explored the subtleties of ritual and imagination. I create artefacts that often combine the textured surfaces and flowing lines of our past with the strong and austere forms of modern architecture. The ultimate goal is to create a work of art that is timeless, thought provoking and responsive to the human spirit. As Director and curator of Sculpture in the Parklands I have been an observer of artistic practice as opposed to directly involved in it. The sculpture park is located in a cut away bog that has been brought back to life over the past ten years through the introduction of lakes and wetland habitats. The sculpture project has added another layer of engagement for visitors to the area by combining visual and conceptual interpretations of geography, landscape, the industrial history of peat harvesting and the people who had lived and worked there. Besides permanent or time based work, the project has a commitment to commissioning video artists, composers, writers and performance artists to interpret and document this unique landscape, archaeology and industrial history.

Photograph of Michael Tierney and Carmel Humphries in front of a bust of an unidentified man.

Photograph of Michael Tierney and Carmel Humphries in front of a bust of an unidentified man.

[Notes for conferences at Alexandria and Belfast.]

[Notes on metalwork.]

[Research notes and sketches for volume III of Irish Art.]

[Notes and sketches relating to St. Manchan's Shrine, Roscommon and Clonmacnoise, and the Shrine of St. Meodhoc.]

Photograph of James Malachy O'Connor, P. O'Shea, D. O'Shea, Michael Tierney, J. Hughes and (P. or J.) Fletcher at the presentation of wallets to UCD porters on their retirement.

[Letter from J. Romilly Allen (20 Bloomsbury Square, London) to William Frazer, regarding Romilly Allen’s book on Christian symbolism and the lack of a complete illustrated list of crosses in Ireland.]

DeChenu (b.1961, Dublin) started his career as a documentary photographer but his current practise encompasses video, photography, sound, text and sculpture. Donated by Professor Micheal MacCormac and his wife in 2003, the sculpture concerns itself with learning and the acquisition of knowledge in an academic environment.

Originally commissioned as part of the Clanwilliam Court Development in Dublin this architectonic sculpture was donated to UCD by Mr David Arnold in 2008. Delaney (b. 1930, Mayo) studied in Rome and Munich and is best known for his expressive figurative public work. The sculpture had previously been located in the American Airlines Building on Baggot Street, Dublin.

Burke (b.1946,Tipperary–d.2006 ) studied in Cork before moving to London where he was introduced to painted steel sculpture. One of the early abstract sculptors in Ireland, his work was influenced by the British sculptor Anthony Caro and the American Alexander Calder. His coloured sculptures enliven architectural spaces.

O'Dwyer (b.1953, New York) has been based in Ireland since 1987 and is director of Sculpture in the Parklands in Co. Offaly. This sculpture was commissioned in connection with WAC 6. Inspired by incised chevron motifs found in the megalithic tomb at Fourknocks, Co. Meath, the sculptor has incorporated this ancient symbol into a series of contemporary architectural forms.

Catherine Greene (b.1960) graduated in sculpture from NCAD in 1984. She is an established figurative sculpture working in bronze and latterly mixed media and lives and works in county Kildare. 'Portal' was specially commissioned for the UCD Sutherland School of Law and marks the transition from the outer residential and support areas of the campus into the pedestrianised academic heart of the university. Viewers are invited to walk through the sculpture echoing the allegorical nature of the work.

Photograph of Eoin MacNeill and members of the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.

Walker has been making work in glass in recent years. This sculpture is part of his translucent series of grid works, which take the form of stacked alternating layers of different types of glass.

Walker (b.1967, Dublin) studied sculpture in NCAD and now divides his time between New York and Dublin. In this early work Walker addresses issues of scale and dimension which are rooted in his height of 129cm.

Rowan Gillespie (b.1953, Dublin) is one of Ireland's most prolific and successful sculptures. He has completed numerous commissions in Ireland and across the world. His Famine figures on the Liffey Quays are well known to Dubliners. Gillespie studied in the UK and Norway. 'Judgement' is based on a small sculpture he made in 1991 in response to a philosophical argument about the Iraq war. This work was donated to UCD by Peter Sutherland.