Frank McDonald Collection

The records document McDonald's engagement with fellow journalists, politicians, publishers, agencies, organisations and the general public on matters ranging from building dereliction and rural development, to public transport and climate change.

"Teenagers had more freedom in those days than they do now. We'd get Runabout tickets from CIÉ's Dublin bus headquarters in O'Connell Street and go to the beaches and dunes at Donabate or Portmarnock"  ('Truly Frank: a Dublin memoir' by Frank McDonald)

One of Frank McDonald's childhood scrapbooks.

A page from McDonald's pop music scrapbook

A page from McDonald's John F. Kennedy scrapbook.

Frank McDonald's Leaving Certificate Examination results, 1967.

"I was involved in setting up the school's first debating society, and we had a lot of fun holding competitions with other schools"  ('Truly Frank').

History essay by Frank McDonald, UCD, c.1967.

UCD Film Society programme, 1969-1970.

Frank McDonald's USI personal identification card.

In 1972 McDonald moved to New York City and started working as a freelance correspondent for the Dublin newspaper The Irish Press. Aged only 22, McDonald reported on subjects of Irish-American interest as well as significant news events such as the Watergate Scandal.

Irish Press news clippings, 1972.

Frank McDonald's typed article draft on US President Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal.

News clipping, Irish Press, 1973.

In 1974 McDonald returned to Dublin where he worked as a sub-editor for The Irish Press. His articles from the mid-1970s reflect his growing concern with Dublin's built environment - derelict buildings, traffic congestion and pollution - and the roots of these flaws.

McDonald's articles from the mid-1970s were prescient of the capital city's need for investment in light rail instead of Dublin Corporation's plan to widen inner city roads for dual carriageway traffic.
(News clipping, Irish Press)

This 1979 series of article gave voice to the concerns of many of the city's inhabitants and identified the inaction of Dublin Corporation and the Irish Government in tackling issues relating to the surrounding built environment.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1979)

News clipping, The Irish Times, 1979.

'Dublin: What went wrong?' made a significant impact and earned McDonald the Benson & Hedges Journalism Award for 'Outstanding Work in Irish Journalism' in 1980.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1980)

A further series of articles in 1982 - Derelict Dublin - developed McDonald's theme of planning issues and infrastructural decay.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1982)

Back cover illustration of 'The Destruction of Dublin' by Frank McDonald, published by Gill & Macmillan (1985).

In 1984, McDonald was approached by Dublin-based publishers Gill & Macmillan to write a book based on the themes explored in his series of articles. The result was the timely publication of his ground-breaking book 'The Destruction of Dublin' the following year.

Typed manuscript of 'The Destruction of Dublin'.

Letter to McDonald from a member of the public.

The event was well attended and a resounding success. Speeches were delivered by activists and politicians, including Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald.
(Photo: Pat Langan/The Irish Times)

At the conference, McDonald was a keynote speaker. In the aftermath of the conference, a transcription of presentations was published along with a Manifesto for positive change and action.

McDonald's Crisis Conference paper, Sunday 9 February 1986.

Dublin Crisis Conference 'Manifesto for the City'.

Dublin Crisis Conference Report and transcript of presentations (1986).

In 1986 McDonald was appointed Environment Correspondent for The Irish Times. Over the ensuing 20 years he continued to write about interconnected themes relating to the built and natural environment.

Other issues McDonald investigated, particularly relating to planning in the 1980s and 1990s, hold a mirror up to the dysfunction in local and national government in Ireland.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1991)

West Dublin Draft Development Plan (1990)

News clipping, The Irish Times, 1991.

In tandem with domestic themes, McDonald's writing demonstrated a sustained interest in global matters, especially climate change and its interconnectedness with national issues such as public transport, urban planning and local government. 
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1986)

Research material: Environmental Conference (1993)

Research material: Greenpeace report (1997)

News clipping, The Irish Times, 1997.

A section in the Frank McDonald Collection is devoted to Temple Bar. McDonald witnessed and documented the transformation of this once-derelict area into a designated 'Cultural Quarter' following a parliamentary act in 1991.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 1991)

McDonald's accumulated records include the ambitious architectural plan published by Temple Bar Properties and literature and ephemera produced by the cultural institutions operating within the quarter.
('Temple Bar Lives' by Group 91 Architects, Temple Bar Properties Ltd, 1991)

Guide to Temple Bar (1999) published by TASCQ (Traders in the Area Supporting the Cultural Quarter).

Temple Bar Guide, 2009 (TASCQ)

McDonald's collection contains records from his time living in Temple Bar (1995-2023). These items reflect the highs and lows of residing in an area known for its nightlife. They include letters of complaint, objections, and photographs.
(News clipping, The Irish Times, 2008)

To view the Frank McDonald Collection or for more information, please contact DCU Library's Special Collections & Archives: specialcollections.archives@dcu.ie