Celebrating 40 years of the Princess Grace Irish Library

A jewel of culture in the Principality, the Princess Grace Irish Library is delighted to announce the theme of its cultural programme in the year of its fortieth anniversary.
 

"A retrospective of the life of Princess Grace, her Irish origins and her passion for Irish culture".

The library in Monaco is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its inauguration in 1984, two years after the death of Princess Grace. As the Principality approaches the end of the centenary celebrations of the birth of her husband, Prince Rainier III, we celebrate the Prince's contribution to the promotion of Irish culture and literature through the creation of the library as a tribute to his wife's affection for Ireland.

The celebrations will be based on a triangular link between three countries - Ireland, the United States and Monaco - so dear to the heart of Princess Grace. The events organised in the library will look back at the imprint left by Irish writers and musicians. They will also evoke other key figures such as Jack Kelly, father of Princess Grace, who was born in Philadelphia and is the son of Mary Ann Costello and John Henry Kelly, who both left Ireland in 1867.

This year, music will also feature prominently. Students from the Rainier III Academy will be performing a selection of pieces chosen from the Princess's collection of scores, a fine way of continuing the collaboration between the library and conservatories in the Principality and in Ireland, namely the Rainier III Academy and Technological University in Dublin.

One of the library's missions is to provide space and resources for writers and researchers to research and work on their projects. With this in mind, we are delighted to announce the arrival of a new Ireland Funds Monaco Fellowship winner for Spring 2024. Flor Mac Carthy is a well-known author, journalist and former RTÉ TV presenter. She will be our writer for the month of March. Flor has written "The Presidents' Letters - An Unexpected History of Ireland", which includes a letter from Princess Grace following the first visit of the royal family during the Prince and Princess's state visit in 1961.

A commemorative stamp celebrating this fortieth anniversary will be issued later this year by the Stamp Issuing Office.

All these events and partnerships will highlight the legacy of Princess Grace and strengthen the cultural links between Monaco, Ireland and America.

For your diaries

• 24 January at 7pm: A lecture by author Patrick O'Sullivan Greene entitled "Revolution to Royalty - the making of an Irish-American Princess".  For further information.
• February 21 at 7pm: A multimedia tour by author Neal Doherty on County Mayo, tracing its history and heritage, including the Kelly family ancestral home. For further information. 
• 13 march at 7pm: An illustrated talk by Flor MacCarthy on the relationship between the family of Sovereign Prince Albert II and the Presidents of Ireland as seen through their correspondence. This talk will be based on her bestseller "The Presidents' Letters: An Unexpected History of Ireland". For further information.