Oscar-winning writer and director Neil Jordan donates archive to National Library of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland has announced receipt of the archive of award-winning Irish screenwriter, director and producer, Neil Jordan.

Born in Sligo in 1950, Neil Jordan has achieved international critical acclaim for his writing and directing; his films include Michael Collins(1996), The Butcher Boy (1997), and Breakfast on Pluto (2005).

In 1992, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Crying Game, which he wrote and directed. In 2003, he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Irish Film and Television Academy. Speaking at the event, Mr. Jordan said:

 “The National Library of Ireland plays an essential role in protecting our country’s visual culture and heritage and I am happy to entrust my archive to it. I have often used its magnificent reading room for research and written drafts of short stories, novels and screenplays there.
 
Ireland will always be home; it gave me my start in writing and filmmaking and has served as the inspiration and backdrop for so much of my work.

I am very happy for my archive to remain here, where I hope it will be consulted by all those with an interest in film.”

Neil Jordan speaking at the event

The archive gives us a rare insight into the creative process of one of Ireland’s most talented writers and directors. It reveals several moments of a career that has spanned many disciplines and decades.

It includes TV and film scripts, production files, storyboards, plays, notebooks and personal correspondence with artistic collaborators. and political figures.

Included in the archives;

• Photographs from the set of the Oscar-nominated film Michael Collins (1996) that starred Liam Neeson;
• Research notes for the Oscar-nominated Interview with the Vampire;

• Handwritten letters from collaborators and colleagues, such as one from Sinéad O’Connor regarding a song she wrote for The Butcher Boy;
• Drafts of Neil Jordan’s literary work.

The donation, made under Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, was marked at a special event in the NLI today, attended by Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD. It follows a previous donation made to the NLI by Mr. Jordan in 1993.

Commenting on the donation, Minister Madigan said:

“This donation is unique and represents a significant item of Irish cultural heritage. It provides a fuller understanding of each of Neil’s films and is an important insight into his creative process and practice in both film and literature. The National Library is a treasure trove for Irish film history, and this generous donation is a deeply important addition and ensures the safeguarding of the material for generations to come.”

Director of the NLI, Dr. Sandra Collins, added: 

“The National Library of Ireland is committed to preserving the story of Ireland through literature, film, still image, digital content and more.

Neil Jordan has had an indelible impact on filmmaking at home and abroad, and we are delighted that he has chosen to donate his rich and diverse archive to the NLI.

We look forward to making this generous donation accessible to fans, researchers and the next generation of Irish filmmakers.

“Section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 enables hugely significant heritage materials such as this archive to be added to the Irish national collections, where they will be preserved and shared with the nation, and is particularly important as there is so much international interest in acquiring Irish archives.”

Further information about the NLI is available at: www.nli.ie.