Princess Grace Irish Library celebrates 40th anniversary

The Princess Grace Irish Library was inaugurated on 20 November 1984. © Princess Grace Irish Library

The Monegasque library was inaugurated two years after the death of Princess Grace.

Under the auspices of the Princess Grace Foundation, the library at 9 Rue Princesse Marie de Lorraine houses a large collection of books and scores of Irish-American music, collected by the Princess throughout her life. Prince Rainier III inaugurated the premises on 20 November 1984 as a tribute to her love of Irish culture.

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To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, this year’s cultural theme will be: “A retrospective of the life of Princess Grace, her Irish roots and her love of Irish culture.” It is an opportunity to revisit Grace Kelly’s family history. Her grandfather, John Kelly, left Ireland for America at the age of 20. The Kellys went on to become one of the most influential families in Philadelphia, and their descendants still live in the area today.

2024 programme

The Princess Grace Irish Library announced the arrival in Spring 2024 of a new beneficiary of the Ireland Funds Monaco Bursaries programme. She is renowned author, journalist and former RTÉ TV presenter Flor Mac Carthy. In March, she will be presenting a talk on the links between the family of Prince Albert II and the Irish Presidents, as seen through their correspondence.

The author will draw in particular on her book “The Presidents’ Letters – An unexpected History of Ireland”, which includes a letter from Princess Grace following the princely family’s first trip during the royal couple’s state visit in 1961.

Three events will start the year off:

24 January at 7pm: Talk by author Patrick O’Sullivan Greene entitled “Revolution to Royalty – The making of an Irish-American Princess.”
21 February at 7pm: A multimedia presentation by author Neal Doherty on County Mayo, tracing its history and heritage, including the Kelly family’s ancestral home.
13 March at 7pm: Talk by author Flor Mac Carthy.

The library has also announced that students from the Académie Rainier III will perform a selection of pieces from the Princess’s collection of scores, as well as the creation of a commemorative stamp, to be issued later in the year by the Office des Émissions de Timbres-Poste.