Archives of Irish America Newspapers and Periodicals Collection
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Dates
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The materials in this collection were collected and assembled by archives staff and various donors in an attempt to document the variety of newspapers and other publications produced by and for the Irish American community. It consists of major runs of several prominent Irish American newspapers and periodicals, ranging from general interest weekly newspapers to more narrowly focused, overtly political publications. The collection's major runs include An Phoblacht / Republican News (1906-present), the official organ of Sinn Féin; Irish Echo (1964-present); Irish People (1972-2004); Irish Voice (1987-2003). The explicitly political publications focus mostly on Irish republicanism and conflict in Northern Ireland.
Historical Note
The materials in this collection were collected and assembled by archives staff and various donors in an attempt to document the variety of newspapers and other publications produced by and for the Irish American community.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series:
Series I: Newspapers, 1836-2020
Series II: Other Publications, 1881-2019
Within each series, materials are arranged alphabetically by title, thereunder chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
The Archives of Irish America Newspaper and Periodicals Collections is an intentionally assembled collection of various newspapers and other publications published by and for the Irish American community. It consists of major runs of several prominent Irish American newspapers and periodicals, ranging from general interest weekly newspapers to more narrowly focused, overtly political publications. The explicitly political publications focus mostly on Irish republicanism and conflict in Northern Ireland.
The collection's major runs include An Phoblacht / Republican News (1906-present), the official organ of Sinn Féin; Irish Echo (1964-present); and Irish People (1972-2004). Also included are regional publications like the Boston Irish News, the Irish American Press from Southern California, and The Tablet from Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Although the majority of the collection dates from the late 20th-century, a few 19th-century papers are present, including the Irish Citizen (1871-1897), Green Banner (1836), and Shamrock (1811).
Of note in the periodicals series are issues of The Nation, published by the Irish American Defense Fund; Spirit of Freedom, an Irish American publication in support of republicanism in Northern Ireland; Irish America, a magazine focusing on the Irish in America and famous Americans of Irish heritage; Ireland of the Welcomes, the official publication of the Ireland Tourist Board; and An Gaodhal, a bi-lingual magazine concerning art, music, and the Irish language.
Subjects
Organizations
People
Topics
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Due to the artificially assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Archives of Irish America Newspapers and Periodicals Collection; AIA 004; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from Archives of Irish America staff, Consulate General of Ireland, The Irish Bookshop, Cherry Lane Productions, Marion Casey, Linda Dowling Almeida, Mary Lou Powner, Conor McGrady, and Cormac K.H. O'Malley in multiple installments, beginning in 1996. The Nation and Spirit of Freedom included in donations from Sean Prendiville and George Harrison. 19th-century newspapers donated by Sean Prendiville.
Accession number associated with this collection include 1997.007, 1997.018, 1997.059, 2000.025, 2011.005, 2011.027, 2018.096, 2019.099, and 2021.020.
Additional accretions were donated by Marion Casey in 2018 and 2019. The accession numbers associated with these accretions are 2018.096 and 2019.099.
Two issues of Glór Na Saoirse were removed from the George Harrison Papers (AIA 009) during processing in August 2020 and transferred to this collection; the accession number associated with this accretion is 2021.020.
Several newspapers and magazines were removed from the Jack O'Brien Papers (AIA.067) and the Kevin Kennedy Ephemera and Photographs Collection (AIA.063) and transferred to this collection in 2021.
An accretion of issues of The Recorder was donated in November 2024 by Ann Garvey as part of her and her late husband's personal papers collection (AIA 088). These materials were appraised out of the collection and transferred to AIA 004 on advice of the curator.
Separated Materials
Issues of The Advocate and The Irish Voice have been transferred to the library collection (call numbers HD6510 .A34 and F128.9.I6 I65 respectively).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Materials were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. Subsequent additions to the collection have been interfiled into existing alphabetical arrangement scheme. Box numbering is not necessarily sequential because of multiple accretions to the collection.
In the winter of 2022, approximately 34.27 linear feet of additional newspapers and periodicals were processed, arranged, and added to this collection by an archivist. The finding aid was edited to reflect this addition of materials. The finding aid was also reformatted, making the dates and publications easier to navigate.
In September 2024, items from box 158 were rehoused into appropriately sized flat boxes, resulting in the deletion of box 158.
In February 2025, issues of The Recorder were appraised out of the John and Ann Garvey Papers (AIA 088), rehoused in archival folders and boxes (Shared Tamiment 188 and 189), and intellectually integrated into the collection's existing arrangement.
