On 16 May 1924, the library received £3.10s as ‘compensation for malicious injuries.’
According to the Keeper, ‘the electric bell at the entrance gate of the Library [was] damaged on two occasions, Dec 1921 and Aug 1922’.
On the latter occasion, the windows to the front of the library were also ‘smashed by stones.’ The Keeper was unable to say who was responsible for the attacks, although he attributed it to the 'spirit of lawlessness and destruction' then rampant across the country.
A clearly aggrieved Keeper submitted the compensation claim to the new Irish Free State on behalf of the Governors of the library ‘and the civilised world.’
Marsh's Library
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Citation:
Compensation Claims,
Marsh's Library Exhibits: ‘Changed Utterly?’
curated by Elaine Doyle and Jason McElligott,
accessed April 27, 2024,
https://www.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/irishrevolution/item/635