Coup for UCC after donation of Richard Harris’ archives
The archives of legendary Irish actor, the late Richard Harris, have been donated to UCC.
Spanning over 50 years, the archives include an extensive collection of manuscripts, letters, photographs, literary works, artefacts and professional and personal documents.
Among the archives are Harris’ personal creative writing manuscripts, as well as publicity and location photos from screen and stage performances such as ‘Camelot’, ‘The Field’, Pirandello’s ‘Henry IV’, and as Professor Albus Dumbledore in the first two ‘Harry Potter’ films.
In addition, the archive includes private memos, items from film sets, Young Munster rugby plaques and pictures, as well as letters and wire communications from family and friends, arts critics, and co-performers.
The donation is a result of a collaboration between the Richard Harris Estate and UCC Library and marks a new stage in the development of contemporary cultural collections at the university.
A preview of the collection was recently presented by Richard’s son and actor Jared Harris and UCC at an event attended by members of the Harris family in London. Prominent items from the archives were unveiled at the event which took place in the Savoy Hotel’s Richard Harris Suite, where the late actor resided for many years.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Crónán Ó Doibhlin, Head of Collections at UCC Library, said the donation will have a huge positive impact in Munster.
“The Richard Harris Archive will be of great benefit to the arts and culture industry to Richard Harris’s home province of Munster, where his legacy as a loved and internationally respected actor continues to be celebrated and cherished.”
Dr Barry Monahan from the Department of Film & Screen Media at UCC, added: “The collection bridges important moments in the biography of the world-celebrated Irish actor, offering fascinating insights to aspects of his career and personality that might have been lost in the gap between his public and private stories.”
UCC has also announced plans to develop a UCC Treasures Gallery which will be a fully secure and serviced space which will provide for public display and interpretation of a variety of artefacts.
First exhibition
The first public exhibition of the archives will take place in Richard Harris’s birth city of Limerick at the Hunt Museum, with further details to be announced shortly.
Jared Harris said: “Our family is excited about bringing this collection to the public in Limerick and also basing it around the particular academic expertise of Dr Barry Monahan.
“Barry is a leading expert on our father’s career and University College Cork is home to a really exciting film school. We hope the public will enjoy the Limerick exhibition and students of film, music and theatre will find in the collection a fascinating trove of information.”