Bible returns to Galway - after 154 years!

The library hosted a pleasant hand-over event on 8 September, when members of the extended Colohan family, living in Australia and the UK, visited Special Collections. They were here to present us with a bible that had first left Galway 154 years ago, when it was presented to John Colohan by his father, Professor Nicholas Colohan. John had graduated in Medicine from what was then Queen's College, Galway in 1857. He subsequently took a post as Surgeon General in the British Army. His work took him to various parts of the world including South Africa, before he settled in Australia. His descendant, Seán Colohan, and his family, have now decided that the bible should be kept in the care of the library's Special Collections. They had first visited the University on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its opening in 1999 and have been back to Galway several times since. Our picture shows Seán with the historic bible. On his right is Monica Crump, our Head of Collections, and to his left are Sean's wife, Narelle, his cousin, Mimi Colohan from London, Marie Boran, Special Collections Librarian, and Prof. Tadhg Foley, formerly of the Discipline of  English, who facilitated the visit.