Postcards

The vintage postcard collection consists of approximately 1,000 historic postcards depicting various locations in the county. The majority date from the early 20th century. They include scenes throughout County Kildare including of buildings and streetscapes of Athy, Celbridge, the Curragh Camp, Kildare Town, Leixlip, Monasterevin, Naas and Newbridge. There are also numerous vintage postcards of beauty spots, historic monuments and other amenities including the Grand Canal, River Liffey, the Curragh plains, Carton House demesne, Kildare Cathedral, Moore Abbey and others.

The collection may be consulted by appointment at Kildare Local Studies. 

Photographic Collection

Kildare Local Studies has extensive photographic collections of approximately 2,500 images. They consist of bound photo albums, individual photographs organised by collection and individual photographs deposited over many years.

Highlights include:

• George Mansfield Photographic Collection. Features a range of family and landscape images from Morristown Lattin and France dating from 1869 onwards.
• Collis Coleburn Collection. Includes a fascinating collection of images of the construction of Poulaphouca dated 1940 from the 1930-50 period.
• Kildare Hunt Album. An original bound album dating from 1890 that includes a large number of portraits with named female and male members associated with the Hunt.
• An extensive collection of photographs of streetscapes and buildings from Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth, Naas, Newbridge and elsewhere in the late 1980s.
• A small album of original rare images from the Gordon Bennett Race (1903).
• Frank Thornton album that includes a number of images from the Western Front, Curragh Hospital and Tennis Club, along with family scenes from the early twentieth century.
• A wide selection of miscellaneous collections.

Please contact localhistory@kildarecoco.ie for further information.