Catherinewascounty librarian for many years
FORMER Wexford County Librarian, Catherine O’Rourke, died peacefully in Cork, on November 6.
Originally from Cork, Catherine came to Wexford as County Librarian in September 1971 at a time when the library service was delivered through small public libraries and primarily via some 40 book collections based in schools and community centres countywide.
As County Librarian, Catherine oversaw the development of public libraries for County Wexford by the introduction of a mobile library serving rural communities in 1980.
Other modernisation included the introduction of a library centre in Gorey from 1972 and the provision of the current library buildings, in New Ross in 1981 and in Enniscorthy in 1994. In 1987, the Wexford town library and the service’s administrative headquarters were moved from the County Council campus in Spawell Road to a larger public facility in Abbey Street.
In particular, historians valued Catherine for her unswerving commitment to Wexford’s local history and to the protection of its printed record. She developed ephemera collections in this area and, for example, was involved in the initiation of the Wexford Festival Opera Archive in 1991.
After her retirement in September 1996, Catherine maintained her enthusiasm for all things Wexford. She continued to live here for many years and she indulged her love of the outdoors, Wexford’s coastal walks and rural communities.
More recently she moved back to Cork and to the support of her family. A committed librarian, a witty and entertaining woman with a wicked sense of humour, Catherine is mourned by her sister-in-laws, nephews, nieces and relatives in Cork as well as by the many Wexford people who use the services she developed here.