Established in 1997 as part of New York University’s Division of Libraries and with the support of Glucksman Ireland House, the Archives of Irish America is a repository of primary research materials that assists students, faculty and visiting scholars in evaluating the Irish impact on the history of American social and cultural development, as well as the evolution of a specifically Irish-American identity.
The Archives of Irish America includes the Ireland House History Collection, developed as part of the Glucksman Ireland House undergraduate Irish Studies curriculum. Glucksman Ireland House faculty also produce virtual exhibits that we encourage you to explore:
- New York Stories
- The Spin on Ireland: Irish Music Record Cover Art Since 1950
- 1981 Hunger Strikes: America Reacts
- Ireland America: The Ties that Bind
- The Fifth Province: County Societies in Irish America
- Labor & Dignity: James Connolly in America
- Legalize the Irish: The Irish Immigrant Reform Movement
- Glucksman Ireland House at Twenty: 20th Anniversary Event Booklet
In order to continue building a collection of primary source materials that can support original research in the emerging field of Irish-American Studies, as well as develop digital resources that connect these materials to similar collections worldwide, the Archives of Irish America is salvaging items in danger of being irretrievably lost and actively collecting papers and other types of materials in under-documented areas. The Archives of Irish America is always interested in acquiring the following kinds of materials:
- Personal Papers (correspondence, diaries, photographs, unpublished manuscripts, family narratives, and oral histories)
- Community Materials (pamphlets, newsletters and other publications, posters, flyers, and announcements of events)
- Organization and Business Records (meeting minutes, correspondence, by-laws, constitutions, publications, ledgers, membership rosters, and financial records)
- Non-Print Materials (photographs and photo albums, all formats of moving images including home movies, video tapes, audio tape and microfilm)
- Ephemera/Artifacts (buttons, banners, t-shirts, medals, etc.)
Twentieth century materials take priority but donations of eighteenth and nineteenth century papers are encouraged if they address unique gaps in the historiography or in other institutional libraries. If you would like to discuss a donation of materials to the Archives, please e-mail ireland.house@nyu.edu or call (212)-998-3955. Access to the Archives is by appointment only.
The Archives of Irish America was made possible by the generosity of the Irish Institute of New York and the Melvin Rauch Foundation, by the wise guidance of the late Dr. Debra Bernhardt of the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at NYU, and by the dedicated efforts of Professor Marion R. Casey.