Hardiman's History of Galway

The book is now out of copyright and is available on the web [1] (http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/history/hardiman/).

James Hardiman (1782 - 1855)

James Hardiman (also known as Seamus O hArgadain) was born in the west of Ireland around 1782 (the exact date is not known). His father owned a small estate in County Mayo.

He was trained as a lawyer and became sub-commissioner of public records in Dublin Castle. He was an active member of the Royal Irish Academy[?] and collected and rescued many examples of Irish traditional music.

In 1855, shortly after its foundation, he became librarian of Queen's College, Galway (now the National University of Ireland, Galway). The university library now bears his name.

Hardiman is best remembered for his History of the Town and County of Galway (1820) and Irish Minstrelsy (1831), one of the first published collections of Irish poetry and songs.