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A black and white concert poster showing a picture of the Dubliners, without their name. 'Olympia Theatre commencing July 30th 1979 nightly at 8. Now Booking: Olympia Theatre Tel. 778962 Brown Thomas and Switzers'

The Dubliners were formed in 1962. By 1979, when the the folk band were booked to play a week of gigs in the Olympia, such was their popularity that the concerts sold out instantly, despite the fact that the printer forgot to put the name of the band on the posters.

A black and white photograph of an old man on a bus sitting upstairs at the front taken by Tony O'Shea.

Tony O’Shea was arguably the city’s greatest press photographer in the latter half of the century. His ability to capture the reality of a situation was such that some luminaries feared being photographed by him. As Colm Tóibín once put it, “he is not the sort of photographer who helps politicians to win elections.”

A black and white photo of a man wearing a Jesus Saves sandwich board staring at a young couple kissing on Henry Street taken by Sarah Cully.

A colour collage made up of postcards showing a whale tail splashing in the Liffey and two people in a row boat with 'Dublin, Ireland' written in the top left corner. On the bottom left it is numbered 86/1000 and on the left is signed by the artist Seán Hillen

A pink poster with a black and white design of a radio and the caption 'RTÉ News - Are you getting the full facts' 'Repeal section 31 of the Broadcasting Act'

During the Troubles, censorship was used to silence Sinn Féin and the IRA. Under Section 31 of the Broadcasting Authority Act, it was forbidden to broadcast the voice of Sinn Féin members. This rule was brought in by Fianna Fáil’s Gerry Collins in 1971 and strengthened by Labour’s Conor Cruise O’Brien in 1977. The ban was upheld by the European Commission of Human Rights in 1991, but repealed two years later as part of the peace process.

A black and white photo of children queuing to ride an elephant with a number of children already on top.

Dublin Zoo opened in 1831, with 46 mammals and 72 birds donated by London Zoo. In 1840 the zoo made the radical decision to charge only a penny for entry on Sundays, thus endearing itself to many Dubliners. One of the best-loved zoo-keepers was Jimmy Kenny, who oversaw elephant rides in the 1950s and 1960s. Jimmy was the father of Pat Kenny, one of Ireland’s most famous broadcasters. Elephant rides are a thing of the past now, of course.

A black and white photograph of a group of people boarding a Howth tram.

A colour photograph of Senator David Norris addressing a group of people outside the gates to the Dáil with a big pink cake reading happy birthday and candles.

A seminal moment in the struggle for gay rights in Ireland, captured by the great Christopher Robson. In October 1988, David Norris won his case in the European Court of Human Rights that the criminal laws on homosexuality were unjust and must be changed. Four years later, the Government had done nothing to implement these changes, and indeed stated that such law reforms “were at the bottom of the list of priorities.” In response, the Gay & Lesbian Equality Network [GLEN] held a “Fourth Birthday Party for Norris.” A huge pink cake was carried through the city, and TDs and Senators were invited to the party outside the Dáil, which was addressed by Senator Norris.

A colour photograph of people in costume and drag sitting on hay bales on a float.