The box was fashioned from the remains of an elm tree planted at Thoor Ballylee by William Butler Yeats, the iconic Irish poet.

Samuel Beckett, an equally iconic Irish literary figure, wrote the last known self-penned lines before his death for the Great Book, lines that are typically sparse and powerful. On the University College Cork YouTube site, you can see and hear UCC’s Jean van Sinderen-Law describe how another well known Irish poet, John Montague, persuaded Beckett to make the historic contribution.

The Book was produced by Poetry Ireland  in 1989 so that people in the third Millennium would, as it were, be able to open a time capsule showing how the most prominent literary figures in Ireland felt as the year 2000 approached. For many, the dawning era seemed as if it might portend all the uneasiness associated with unchartered territory. In more than 100 personally inscribed poems, illustrated by as many of the finest Irish artists, the poets have, therefore, created a unique message for the next 1,000 years, representing the Irish people now, all 72 million of them, at home and in every corner of the world. Apolitical and all embracing, the Great Book is a celebration of Ireland’s long and distinguished literary tradition and its permanent home will eventually be at University College Cork, where it will be available not only for scholarly study, but also for the enjoyment of visitors to the University. It is undoubtedly destined to become one of Ireland’s literary landmarks and for that reason, it will be transported to Chicago under the close supervision of the UCC Librarian, John FitzGerald.

The Great Book will be on display at Chicago’s Union League Club from 7pm to 9pm on October 20th next, when the President of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy, will welcome UCC alumni and friends, members of the Irish diaspora as well as the large numbers of native Chicagoans who are expected to attend the event. Dr Murphy will be joined by Theo Dorgan, one of the outstanding modern voices in Irish poetry, who edited the Great Book and saw the project through to fruition. Theo will speak about the Great Book’s fascinating history and how the ambitious project was conceived.

As well as the Beckett poem, the Book contains a preface and hand written poem by Séamus Heaney, poems in their own hand by, amongst others, Derek Walcott, Thomas Kinsella, Brendan Kennelly, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Máire Mhac an tSaoi and Paul Durcan. Some of the major artists who illustrated the vellum manuscript included: Louis le Brocquy, Dorothy Cross, Basil Blackshaw and Robert Ballagh. The actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, an accomplished artist, also contributed.

The Beckett poem, four lines hand written with some difficulty, is as follows:

Redeem the surrogate goodbyes
who have no more for the land
the sheet astream in your hand
and the glass unmisted above your eyes.

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