Belfast in the late 18th century saw a surge in
academia and the establishment of learned societies. The enlightenment was in
full swing and taking the Protestant gentry by storm, bringing with it the
revolutionary ideas of Liberalism and Republicanism. The goal of the
enlightenment was simple, learn all you can, teach others what you have learned
and show them the path to freedom and equality in order to create a civilised
and educated society with the greatest freedoms for all people. With this drive
to learn came a yearning among many to either learn the native Gaelic language
or to get the manuscripts translated in order to access their information. One
of the earliest examples of a truly successful society which flourishes to this
day was the Belfast Reading Society.
The Belfast Reading Society (known
today as the Linen Hall Library) was founded on the 13th of May 1788
by a group of 15 men. It took a slow but steady start, moving from building to
building and constantly adding to their ever-growing library. In 1792 the
society changed its name to the Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge and in 1795
the society adopted the resolution ‘that the object of this Society is the collection
of an extensive Library, philosophical apparatus and such products of nature
and art as tend to improve the mind and excite a spirit of general enquiry’.
They took an interest in the preservation of the Irish language and culture from
an early stage and promoted the native customs in whatever ways they could. In 1792
they set up a four-day festival to promote the Irish harp and then sponsored
the publication of traditional Irish airs collected in the 1796 edition of
Edward Bunting’s Ancient Irish Music. The society continued with their
support by supporting the Irish Harp Society and eventually held another
festival for the promotion of the harp in 1903.
The Belfast Reading society was
established as an apolitical and non-sectarian society and aimed to bring
knowledge to all people who could afford to become members. The society began
to decline during the 1790’s however as it had no permanent residence and
struggled to control the political radicals which were among the members of the
society. After the outbreak of the 1798 rebellion the British officials
attempted to crack down on any institutions where the United Irishmen were
gathering. This included the then called Belfast Society for Promoting
Knowledge which only survived through the efforts of Rev. William Bruce. Until
1802 the society was moving around from different buildings in Belfast before
they finally settling in the White Linen Hall. The society remained there until
1888 when the Countess of Shaftesbury decided to render leases on the Hall
void. The society then moved to a former linen warehouse on Donegal Square in
Belfast and was fully established there by 1892 and the library is still there
today. The first librarian of the society was Robert Cary with Thomas Russel
being elected to the position in 1794. Russel remained there until 1796 when he
arrested in the library rooms for his political activities.
The original
rules of the society as seen in the publications of the society’s minutes refer
to the terms of membership and leadership of the society. The rules state firstly
state that the reasoning behind the society is purely for the promotion of
knowledge through the establishment of a library and other learning facilities
if they are feasible. The society established a system of membership where
those who paid the annual fee of one Guinea became members and were given the
opportunity to pay an extra sum of one Guinea to become proprietors of the
society. Apprentices and other young people under the age of 21 who received
permission to use the library were only subjected to pay half a Guinea per
year.
The Linen Hall
library today is one of the last remaining libraries which are funded by its
members on the island. There are around 2,700 members subscribed to its vast
collection of high-quality material. The libraries greatest collection of books
are the historical works of Irish and local studies collection as well as a
strong collection of Irish language and Ulster-Scots material. The library has
received the status of becoming an accredited museum with its collection of
books which date back centuries, the oldest of which is De Anima,
a book described as a ‘medico-philosophical treatise which concerns health and
wellbeing’ and dates back to 1490.
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