UCD Archives

Please click on the image and explore the exhibition.

Biological agents are among the most feared weapons on Earth. In 1920, British authorities claimed that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was planning to attack British barracks in Dublin with typhoid bacteria. Explore our seven scenes to lift the lid on the historical circumstances surrounding the so-called 'typhoid plot'. Discover how the very technologies underpinning the bacteriological revolution triggered major anxieties about invisible violence and find out how weaponising microbes became an international taboo.

Exhibition written and curated by Claas Kirchhelle
Curatorial and producation assistance from Carly Collier
Artwork by Madeleine Hadd
Design and digital exhibition development by Ben Leighton and Chris Hodgson

Contours of a Taboo is one of a suite of exhibitions launched as part of the project 'Typhoid, Cockles & Terrorism'. 

UCD Archives' core function is the curatorship of the archives of the university and the significant institutions which predated its foundation; and of those outstanding collections of private papers and institutional archives acquired and preserved to help document the foundation and development of modern Ireland.

The mission of UCD Archives is to achieve the highest standards in the performance of its core functions:

To identify and preserve collections of archives, papers and manuscripts of national significance, safeguarding the interests of depositors and supporting the teaching and research needs of the university and the wider community.

To identify and preserve those records of the university which are evidence of university functions and which have enduring significance, to support administration and research.

Notice to Readers: Change in UCDA Reading Room Location

The UCD Archives Reading Room will be closed from Monday 5 May–Friday 16 May, reopening in a new shared reading room with Special Collections on Level 1 of the James Joyce Library on Monday 19 May.

This move is part of essential enablement works for Phase 2 of the James Joyce Library redevelopment project and will enable the ongoing enhancement of our facilities and the establishment of a new Cultural Heritage Centre.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to the new shared space.

Queries: please contact archives@ucd.ie