President Patrick Hillery lays the foundation stone for a new library at St Patrick's College Maynooth.
The new £4 million library is to be named after Pope John Paul II who blessed the foundation stone on 1 October 1979 during his visit to Ireland.
The ceremony was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio Most Rev Dr Alibrandi, and several members of the church hierarchy.
The new building is due to be complete in 1984 and will replace the existing library which was built in 1850. The new library was funded entirely by the college and donations without any assistance from the state.
As part of the ceremony, President Patrick Hillery placed a copy of the original college deeds from 1795 beneath the foundation stone along with rosary beads, a set of coins, architectural plans for the library, and the newspapers of the day.
A mass celebrated by Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich took place ahead of the ceremony.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 18 April 1982. The footage shown here is mute.
