The Cliodna O’Riordan Papers

Cliodna O’Riordan and her sister Sally were among the first pupils of the Irish National Ballet School, which was set up in 1954 by Blanaid and Eoin O’Brolchain and Cecil ffrench Salkeld. The school was located at 19 Ely Place, Dublin, and its first director was Valentina Dutko. Dutko was replaced in 1956 by Patricia Ryan, during whose directorship the school evolved into the National Ballet Company.

The collection contains programmes, press cuttings, photographs, letters, and certificates collected by Cliodna O’Riordan. The items reflect the early years of the Irish National Ballet School and O’Riordan’s subsequent interest in ballet and other forms of dance.