merrion street

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan TD, today welcomed the news that the personal and family archive of the Irish author and painter Christy Brown will have a permanent home in Dublin. The collection, comprising papers, paintings, books and personal effects was auctioned at Bonhams in London today, and was purchased jointly by the National Library of Ireland and the Little Museum of Dublin.

Commending the purchase, Minister Deenihan commented:

“I am delighted that this valuable collection will now be housed permanently in Dublin, Christy Brown’s home town. Christy Brown was an amazing individual who overcame great personal difficulties, to become one of Ireland’s best known authors and painters. Of course, his fame spread even farther as his extraordinary story achieved worldwide fame in the Oscar winning movie, My Left Foot.”

“I would like to congratulate the Acting Director of the National Library of Ireland, Catherine Fahy and the Director of the Little Museum of Dublin, Trevor White, for ensuring that this archival collection, a wonderful piece of our cultural and literary heritage, will be preserved for, and made accessible to, the people of Ireland. This is a wonderful example of our cultural institutions working together and I look forward to visiting an exhibition of the material in the near future.”