Monsignor Sean Swayne died in 1996 and his collection of 100 pre-1850 books was bequeathed to the Russell Library. During his time as chairman of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Liturgy and also Parish Priest of Graiguenamanagh Co. Kilkenny, Monsignor Swayne collected a number of significant and often rare books related to his discipline which will be of interest to international scholars and researchers. His bequest, many of which were printed in Dublin in the 18th and 19th centuries, consist of mainly devotional and liturgical material - but also features various books on architecture and the arts. This article will examine some of the highlights of the collection while identifying features of the history of bookmaking and documenting the social history discovered upon resource description. Cataloguing of this important collection of rare books was completed in March 2018 as part of the Russell Library Cataloguing Project, which is managed by Barbara McCormack, Special Collections Librarian. The collection is available for consultation in the Russell Library.