The VOICES Project has announced a new collaboration with St Patrick’s Cathedral and the Representative Church Body Library (RCBL) to support the curation and integration of the Cathedral’s archive, housed at the RCBL in Churchtown.
Running from September 2026 to August 2027, the project will incorporate recently catalogued Cathedral records into the wider archive, with a particular focus on early modern property and legal documents, especially records relating to women’s leasehold interests.
The VOICES team welcomes Michael Flaherty, who recently completed an M.Phil. in Early Modern History at Trinity College Dublin. Working closely with Dr Susan Hood, RCBL Librarian and Archivist, and the VOICES team, Michael will research women’s lives and experiences as documented in the Cathedral’s historical records.
The collaboration was launched during a recent visit by members of the VOICES team to the Representative Church Body Library. Among the records of interest is a 1660 lease of farmland in County Dublin granted to Elizabeth Paulson, a widow, by the Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Revd William Fuller.
The project will help bring new insights into women’s property ownership and legal experiences in early modern Ireland. Learn more here.
Image L-R: Dr. Claire McNulty (Post Doc, VOICES), Professor Jane Ohlmeyer (PI, VOICES), Dr. Susan Hood (RCBL Librarian & Archivist) and Michael Flaherty (Research Assistant, VOICES), Donal Farrell, (PhD Student RINN AI/TCD).
