Royal Irish Academy: Special list / Liosta speisialta: A009

RICHARD JOHN USSHER, MRIA, (1841-1913) was a speleologist, ornithologist and the main author of Ussher & Warren, The Birds of Ireland, Dublin and London, 1900. Ussher was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1906. He bequeathed his books, papers and correspondence on natural history, cave exploration, and antiquities to the Academy.

The collection known as the Ussher Bird Notes consists of Ussher’s notes and correspondence relating to the various species of bird recorded in Ireland. The original calendar of the collection, compiled by P. Cuffe in 1960-61, was prepared for the web by Mr. Karl Vogelsang of the Academy library in November/December 2003. In the course of checking the names of the genera and species recorded by Ussher, Mr. Vogelsang noted that some names had been altered in the modern reference books on Irish birds. With the assistance of Mr. Eric Callaghan, Department of Zoology, University College Dublin, the currently accepted nomenclature was applied. Thus, the calendar now reflects both the current nomenclature and the superseded terms as used by Ussher.

We hope that the listing will be of use to those who may need to access the Bird Notes. The original calendar has been filed with Ussher’s papers.

Download list here