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Juno and the Paycock First Draft at the National Library of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland has acquired the first draft of Juno and the Paycock at auction in New York. This was made possible by special allocation funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the National Library of Ireland trust.

Library director Dr Sandra Collins said the library looked forward to “reserving this precious piece of Irish history and literature and exhibiting it in the library for all to enjoy”. This is wonderful news. It is gratifying that this manuscript should return to Ireland.

The first draft is significant in that it shows how the play evolved and what Sean’s early thoughts on the play were. The title on the exercise book is Juno and the Peacock. The National Library of Ireland already holds a significant number of manuscripts and correspondence by and on Sean. This first draft is a wonderful addition to that resource.

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