Collections

Printed Books and Periodicals

The Library holds 70,000+ printed books, a large and varied collection of pamphlets and a selection of periodicals. The principal subject areas are ethics, theology, biblical studies, spirituality, homilitics, pastoralia, liturgy, mission, church history, comparative religion and religious biography. Items which are not available in the Library can be obtained on inter–library loan.

The Library also seeks to acquire a copy of all publications relating to the Church of Ireland. In pursuit of this objective there are collections of older printed books, pamphlets, directories, journals and periodicals; a large collection of parish, cathedral and diocesan histories; and a substantial body of ephemera.

Click here to access the Printed Books catalogue
Click here to access the Periodicals catalogue 

Archives and Manuscripts

The Library is the Church of Ireland’s repository for its archives and manuscripts. Non–current records from parishes, dioceses, cathedrals, the General Synod and the Representative Church Body are regularly transferred to the Library. However, some records remain in local custody and some, which originated in Northern Ireland, have been transferred to the Public Record Office in Belfast.

The manuscript collection includes papers of prominent clergy and laity and records of Church of Ireland organisations and societies. There is no modern printed catalogue of the archives and manuscripts. An overview of the collection may be had from Raymond Refaussé Church of Ireland Records, and in the annual accessories list is printed in the Journal of the General Synod.

Advice is available on the location and extent of church archives which are not deposited in the Library, and the conditions under which such material may be consulted.

Click here to access the Manuscripts catalogue 

Irish Huguenot Archive

The Library has been the home of the Irish Huguenot Archive since its establishment in 1993 by the Irish Section of the Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland. The collection consist of the publications of the Huguenot Society together with a miscellaneous body of printed and manuscript material relating to the Huguenot presence in Ireland. The Archive seeks to acquire any printed or manuscript material relating to the Huguenot refuge in Ireland. Books, pamphlets and manuscripts in the collection may be consulted in the Library’s reading rooms during the normal opening hours.

For information on the Huguenot Society in Ireland see www.huguenotsinireland.com.

Church Plate, Portraits and Stained Glass

The Library maintains and administers the Church’s databases of church plate and episcopal portraits. There is no public access to these records but request for information from them will be considered.  

The Library also hosts the database of the Church of Ireland stained glass windows.
This database is accessible on www.gloine.ie.