Collection of rare materials on Irish literature, art, culture and music launched at University of Limerick

THE Gottschalk Collection, a treasure trove of rare materials on Irish literature, art, culture and music, was officially launched at University of Limerick.

The collection - housed within the Special Collections and Archives Department at UL’s Glucksman Library - was donated to UL’s Centre for Irish-German Studies in 2019 by the late Jürgen Gottschalk, a Celtic scholar and champion of the unique relationship between Ireland and Germany.

The Gottschalk Collection boasts German translations of the best of Irish literature, German and English language travel books on Ireland, Irish myths and folktales, and books on important Irish figures. Among the most prominent items in the collection are early and rare editions of works by celebrated authors such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and Jonathan Swift.

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The launch of the Gottschalk Collection was attended by Jürgen’s widow, Traute, and their two sons, Martin and Christof, and was a highlight of the Centre for Irish-German Studies and Annual German Studies Association of Ireland conference, hosted by UL.

Among those to attend the launch were Ciara McCaffrey, director of the Glucksman Library, UL; Dr Sandra Joyce, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at UL; Professor Gisela Holfter, director of the Centre for Irish-German Studies at UL; Ken Bergin, Head of Special Collections at the Glucksman Library, UL and Matthias Fleckenstein, German-Irish Society in Würzburg.