The National Library has acquired 500 sheets of James Joyce's manuscripts, including notebooks from his early days in Dublin and drafts of the final chapter of Ulysses.
The €12.2 million purchase has been described by a spokesman for Minister Síle de Valera as the largest acquisition ever by a national cultural institution.
Director of the National Library Brendan O'Donoghue purchased the unique collection of Joyceana from Alexis Leon the son of the late Paul Leon, Joyce's Paris-based friend, agent, secretary and legal advisor during the 1930's.
It was brought to Ireland today by Minister de Valera from an RAF base west of London aboard the government jet.
The purchase includes notebooks from Joyce's days in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century before he wrote 'Dubliners'; notes and drafts of chapters of Ulysses which have not been seen before now; and proofs and amended proofs of parts of 'Finnegan's Wake'.
They are thought to be enough to justify ranking the National Library as one of the premier repositories of Joyce material anywhere in the world.
Allied Irish Banks donated €6.8 million towards the purchase, which will be considered as payment in lieu of tax. The remaining €5.4 million came from the heritage fund recently established by Minister de Valera to facilitate the purchase of significant artefacts by national institutions.
