The Irish Poetry Reading Collection, which forms part of the Irish Poetry Reading Archive, is a central repository for readings by Irish poets, in both the English and the Irish language. This collection aims to capture and preserve the rich and diverse landscape of poetry in Ireland, and includes the voices of: established poets; emerging poets; performance poets; avant-garde poets; English and Irish language poets; and Irish diaspora poets. Many of the readings are accompanied by handwritten or typed presentation copies of the poem, created by the poet especially for the reading.

This collections comprises of two publications: (1) 'The Beckett Country: Samuel Beckett's Ireland', by Eoin O'Brien, written to celebrate Samuel Beckett's eightieth birthday in 1986. (2) The catalogue to 'The Beckett Country' exhibition, first held in The Library, University of Reading, in May 1986.

The Dublin Town Planning Competition was held in 1914, with the aim to "elicit Plans and Reports of a preliminary and suggestive character, and thus obtain contributions and alternatives which may be of value towards the guidance of the future development of the City in its various directions". The Dublin civic survey report refers to the competition as the Aberdeen Competition, probably due to the prize for the best design which was presented by the Marquis of Aberdeen and Temair. Eight entries were submitted in total, each relating to the Greater Dublin area, taking in Howth, Glasnevin, Ashtown, Dundrum and Dalkey. The main headings for the proposals included: 1. Communications; 2. Housing; and 3. Metropolitan improvements. The submission by Patrick Abercrombie, Sydney Kelly and Arthur Kelly was awarded the prize in 1916. Due to major political and historical events, the winning entry was not officially published until 1922, with the final Civic Report not published until 1925. Out of the eight entries, only three are known to have survived.