About
“The American Irish Historical Society is the custodian of an invaluable archive and collection of Irish and Irish-American history and literature. You are welcome to attend our events, conduct research in our archives, and help support our historical and cultural mission. Founded in Boston and in continuous operation since 1897, the Society has been non-partisan and non- sectarian since its inception.”
History Of The Society
On January 20th, 1897, fifty men of Irish nationality or descent met in the old Revere House in Boston where they adopted a Constitution and By-Laws that brought into being the American Irish Historical Society. The primary goal of the Society was to raise awareness of the accomplishments of the Irish in America, because at the time many historians mistakenly believed that there were no Irish in America until the 1830s. Thus, the founders of the AIHS placed special emphasis on the role of Irish-Americans in the American Revolution. Thomas Hamilton Murray became the first Secretary-General and Thomas Bonaventure Lweler was the Librarian-Archivist. Original members included Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Theodore Roosevelt, William Bourke Cockran, Thomas Hamilton Murray, Justice John Goff, Judge Daniel F. Cohalan, John Devoy, historian Michael J. O' Brien, Fr. Francis Duffy, George M. Cohan, Victor Herbert, and James McGurrin.
The Society moved its headquarters to New York City in the early 20th century, to offices in the old Manhattan Hotel at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue. In 1908, the society moved to the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. Finally, in 1921, the society moved into its first permanent home of its own - a four-story home and basement brick building at 132 East 16th street, which had been bequeathed to it by the late Dr. John T. Nagle, a board member. In these surroundings, the Society continued to grow its holdings and it was found necessary to build an addition to the building to house everything. By then, the Society had amassed large collections of books, pamphlets, and papers, and members and students used the reading room five days a week. Nineteen years after moving in, the society moved again, for the last time.
On April 14, 1940, it moved into its handsome new home at 991 Fifth Avenue on Millionaire Mile, now known as Museum Mile. The society continued to serve its membership by offering free and public events and by extending use of the library and archives to researchers, writers, and scholars.
Mission Statement
The American Irish Historical Society was founded in Boston in 1897 to document, commemorate, and interrogate the story of the Irish in America. In the years since, it has become a national center of scholarship, conversation, and culture. From its home on New York’s Fifth Avenue, across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Society serves as a focal point of the contemporary transatlantic Irish experience, a place where current public issues are explored, where the story of the American Irish is studied and reviewed, and where the great renaissance in Irish culture is celebrated in lectures, concerts, performances, and art exhibits. Non-partisan and non-sectarian since its inception in 1897, it maintains the most complete private collection of Irish and Irish American literature and history in the United States.
Notable Past Members
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Theodore Roosevelt
President
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William Bourke Cockran
Politician
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George M. Cohan
Composer
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John McCormack
Tenor
More about the history of the Society…
The townhouse is a beautiful five-story limestone building entered through wrought iron grille doors. In the entrance hall there are busts of Charles O’Connor, the famous lawyer, by Augustus St. Gaudens; Justice John W. Goff, the noted jurist, by Ordway Partridge; and Thomas Davis, the Irish poet, by Alber Power, RH.A., a gift of the Irish Government. The Society’s library of over 10,000 volumes, contains many priceless and exceedingly rare books, such as the famous Bedell Bible published in the 17th century, a first edition of Geoffrey Keating’s History of Ireland, and a rare set of the “Annals of the Four Masters.”
Almost sixty years after it had been founded to protest the "No Irish Need Apply" signs, and other religious, linguistic, or cultural barriers that the elite erected to prevent new ethnic groups from fully participating in the American Dream, by the mid 2oth century, the Society was focused on the positive rather than negative, choosing to document the wealth of heritage and achievements that the Irish brought with them to and accomplished in their new home.
For various reasons, the Society began to decline in the late 1960's and was almost defunct when it was taken over by Dr. Kevin Cahill in the early 1970's, who revitalized it, making its annual gala a must-do on the city’s social calendar.
“In his years as the President-General of the American Irish Historical Society, Cahill refurbished its prestigious townhouse home on New York’s Fifth Avenue and continued the effort to raise the awareness of Irish Americans of their cultural history and ancestry.”
A new board was appointed in July 2023, and a new Executive Director in February 2024 and the Society is delighted to once again welcome people to use its archives or attend an event.
Executive Director
Elizabeth Stack
Elizabeth Stack, PhD, is the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society in New York City. Dr. Stack was previously the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY and before that she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Institute of Irish Studies. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they grappled with the immigration restriction movements of that time. She has a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Relations in the 20 th Century from University College Dublin in Ireland. From Listowel, in Co. Kerry, Elizabeth sees a huge connection between her own experience as an immigrant, and the important mission of the Society to preserve and share Irish contributions to American history. “Major areas of interaction between Ireland and America have included diplomacy, economy, education, nationalism, tourism, culture, philanthropy, and the free flow of capital. However, immigration has given the most significant and lasting link. We explore all these topics in the Society.”
Board
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Chairman of the Board
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Secretary
Treasurer
Vice Chair
Charles O' Byrne
Christine Quinn
Danny Leavy
James Normile
Jeanne O'Rourke
John Donohue
Kyle Clifford
Maura Kelly
Michael Cusick
Susan Carey Dempsey
Terry Golway
Tom Higgins
Press About The Society
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NY Times recommends AIHS Family Hallowe'en Event
New York Times
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New AIHS executive director promises full transparency.
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AIHS Gala honors Kelly, Higgins
Irish Echo
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Irish Stew Podcast
Recorded at the AIHS's historic Fifth Avenue headquarters in New York, the conversation delves into the importance of preserving Irish American history, the challenges of maintaining the society's landmark building, and the efforts to engage younger generations in Irish heritage.
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Historical Society's future secure on Fifth Ave. with Stack at helm
The Irish Echo’s Geoffrey Cobb discusses Dr. Stack and the revitalization of the Society