1960s | The Little Museum Collection

Letter from Charles Haughey, 1967

A letter from the then Minister for Finance and later Taoisech of Ireland, Charles J. Haughey, to Eric Patton

Charles Haughey was Minister for Finance at the time he wrote this letter to Eric Patton, from the Richie Hendriks Gallery. While the gallery, which was here on Stephen’s Green, was cutting-edge, the painting in question recently sold for just €800. In the same year, Haughey sold his old house in Raheny for £200,000, having bought it for £50,000 ten years earlier. The land had been rezoned in the interim.

Opening an office building on St Stephen’s Green that year, he announced, “I, for one, have never believed that all architectural taste and building excellence ceased automatically with the passing of the 18th Century.” That same year, 1967, Haughey bought Abbeville, an eighteenth century mansion designed by Gandon.

Permanent Collection

Charles Cushman’s Dublin – Grafton Street, 1961

Charles Cushman was an enthusiastic amateur photographer

Cushman made a visit to Dublin in 1961. On his death he bequeathed 14,500 photos to his alma mater, the University of Indiana.

Grafton Street was named after Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, the illegitimate son of Charles II. The street was developed from a country lane by the Dawson family in 1708. Today it feels like a bland British high street.

Copyright and reproduction rights for all Charles W. Cushman photographs are held by Indiana University and administered by the University Archives, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405

These Fabulous Nineteen Sixties by Tom Mathews

Ten of Ireland’s most accomplished artists have each produced a piece that reflects on some aspect of life in Dublin during the 20th Century

A Dublin institution, cartoonist Tom Mathews relives the sixties, with a witty, comic-strip approach to some of the decade’s highlights, including the visit of President John F. Kennedy, the deaths of Brendan Behan and Patrick Kavanagh, the blowing up of Nelson’s Pillar and The Beatles live at the Adelphi cinema.

Tom incorporates images of himself to bookend this dynamic decade, appearing as a boy at one end, and with a classic late sixties look at the other.

With thanks to Tom Mathews

Dublin Theatre Festival, 1961

Dublin has a rich theatrical tradition

The Dublin Theatre Festival is Europe’s oldest theatre festival, held annually since 1957. It brings major productions to Ireland, and provides a platform for local and more experimental work. This poster for the 1961 festival was designed by Louis le Brocquy.

On loan from Aer Lingus

‘Dublin Greets Kennedy’, 1963

The visit of US President John F. Kennedy was seismic

Kennedy was mobbed by autograph-hunters at a garden party held in his honour at the home of the President. Six months later he was killed in Dallas. His address to both houses of the Oireachtas during his trip was a bravura performance; a sort of homecoming, as the Irish Times noted.

Permanent Collection

Charles Cushman’s Dublin – College Green, 1961

Charles Cushman was an enthusiastic amateur photographer

Cushman made a visit to Dublin in 1961. On his death he bequeathed 14,500 photos to his alma mater, the University of Indiana

Trinity College takes up most of the background in this photo, with buses passing – College Green is still a bottleneck. The pedantic modern mind notes the absence of lane markings and traffic islands.

Copyright and reproduction rights for all Charles W. Cushman photographs are held by Indiana University and administered by the University Archives, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405

Henry Street and Litter Bin 1966 – 2009

These pictures show how much (and how little) Dublin has changed in forty years

Pádraic McMahon, a photographer and former member of the Dublin rock band The Thrills, inherited a collection of photos of Dublin in the 1960s from an elderly neighbour, William Stafford (1915-2006).

McMahon recreated the photos as faithfully as possible, using the same exposure settings, in the same locations – even at the same time of day and in the same weather. Here on the left a Litter Bin in 1966 and on the right in 2009.

With thanks to William Stafford and Padraig McMahon

Watch an RTE documentary about Dublin showing scenes from different eras:

Aer Lingus Edinburgh to Dublin Ad, 1960s

Air travel only became widespread in the second half of the twentieth century

Strange as it now seems, air travel was once perceived as a glamorous activity. This elegant poster advertises the Aer Lingus service between Edinburgh and Dublin.

With thanks to Aer Lingus

Money Counter, 1960s

This money counter was for use with pre-decimalisation coins

The Munster and Leinster Bank was founded in 1864, in 1867 purchased some of the branches of the unsuccessful Union Bank of Ireland, in 1870 acquired the long established private bank David La Touche & Son and in 1885 failed due to mismanagement and fraud and is liquidated. However, Munster and Leinster Bank commences operations.

In 1966, Allied Irish Banks Limited was established, a new company that acquired three Irish banks: Provincial Bank of Ireland, the Royal Bank of Ireland, and the Munster & Leinster Bank. The banks saw an alliance as the best way to overcome the fragmented nature of the Irish banking industry.

With thanks to Olive Murray

Leeson Street by Bill Doyle, 1969

Selling newspapers on street corners was common in Dublin

In Bill Doyle’s iconic photo the headline ‘All well in Moon Craft’ refers to the Apollo 11 mission. For many years street vendors sold the Evening Herald and the Evening Press, which led to the catch-all cry “Heralorpress!”

The two papers enjoyed a healthy rivalry for many years, but the market is on the wane nowadays and only the Herald survives. It is still sold on the streets, but modern hawkers are rather less vocal.

With thanks to Leslie Doyle for Bill Doyle and Lilliput Press

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