Archives
“Shamhlaigh mé riamh gur cineál leabharlainne a bheidh i bParthas.//I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”
“The archives of the American Irish Historical Society are a remarkably unique and timeless portal to the connections between past and present, particularly through the enduring relationship between Ireland and the United States. The connections formed and contributions made through the immigrant experience come to life in these materials, and are illuminated through the marvelous work of archivist Marcus Lindenburg, curator Aishling Connaughton Edwards, and their team.”
“As a proud Irish American, I can think of nothing so important as preserving our history. The American Irish Historical Society is preeminently important in doing this. And, it all starts with knowing what materials are at the AIHS and categorizing and publicizing them.”
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About the Archives
The Society’s library houses more than 10,000 volumes, the most complete private collection of Irish and American Irish history and literature in the United States. The library features a temperature-controlled rare books room that holds another 1,000 volumes, and an unparalleled collection of newspapers and newsletters dating back to the late-18th century, and several early and mid-19th century newspapers, such as The Nation, The United Irishman, and the Dublin Penny Journal. Also housed in the library is the Society’s unique collection of letters from Patrick Pearse and Charles Stewart Parnell, the irreplaceable archives of other societies and organizations, and the personal papers of leading Irish Americans like Daniel F. Cohalan. The collection is complemented by works of art from such noted Irish artists as Nathaniel Hone, John Faulkener, George Russell (A.E.), John Butler Yeats, Aloysius O’Kelly, and Augustus St. Gaudens. The Society also holds an extensive collection of Irish music, including a taped interview with Brendan Behan that became his Confessions of a Rebel.
