• Constantine Curran was born in Dublin.
• He was a lawyer and a historian of 18th century Dublin architecture, sculpture and plasterwork, with a life-long interest in art and literature.
• Curran was educated in Belvedere College and UCD.
• He is perhaps best known for this lifelong friendship and association with James Joyce.
• Joyce and Curran attended UCD together, both graduating with a BA in 1902.
• Curran also knew other early 20th century Irish writers, including W.B. Yeats, A.E. Russell, James Stephens and Padraic Colum.
• His collections of books, letters and photographs go some way to documenting the development of the Irish literary revival.
• He was also a renowned scholar of Georgian art and architecture.

‘By a happy providence his life coincided exactly with the dawn, high noon and the sunset of what has come to be called the Irish Renaissance.’ Bodkin, H. (1972) “Obituary of Curran” Studies: 61.

The collections can be consulted by the students and staff of UCD, and by external users, in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Find books in the collection:

• Go to the Library catalogue
• Click on Advanced Search and select Author from the drop-down menu
• Insert Curran in the search box
• Select Special Collections from the Collection drop-down menu.

Find information on Constantine Curran in the Dictionary of Irish Biography (UCD only).