October 2007: Dublin City Public Libraries has just published a biography of Alderman Tom Kelly, who was an influential member of Dublin City Council in the early decades of the 20th century, a period of radical change for Ireland and its capital city. His achievements included the replacement of slums by social housing; developing the public library service; and the foundation of the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art.
A committed nationalist, Kelly was a political prisoner on two occasions after the 1916 Rising and as a result, his health broke down, preventing him from taking up the office of Lord Mayor of Dublin to which he was elected in January 1920. In later life, Kelly continued to work for his twin aims of improved housing and access to education for all, and in this spirit he was a founder-member and first President of the Old Dublin Society.
