Jane Conlon Muller Oral History Collection
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Abstract
This collection consists of 34 interviews conducted by Jane Conlon Muller with civil rights lawyer and politician Paul O'Dwyer; Irish Northern Aid founder Michael Flannery; and Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. The interviews were produced as part of an oral history project with the New York Irish History Roundtable and document numerous aspects of Irish American studies; and the immigrant experience in America, with specific emphasis on New York. Subjects include the interviewees' childhoods and family lives; their professional and political activities; their involvement with various Irish American movements or organizations, including civil rights and hunger strikes in Northern Ireland; and providing support to the families of killed or imprisoned IRA soldiers.
Biographical Note
Jane Conlon Muller, born in 1942, is the granddaughter of Irish immigrants from counties Donegal, Leitrim, and Clare. She holds a bachelors degree from Queens College and a Juris Doctorate from CUNY Law School. After leaving the Kings County DA's office, she opened her own law practice, which specializes in construction law, elder law, wills, trusts and estates as well as real estate.
Historical Note
The interviews in this collection were conducted in 1990 and 1991 by Jane Conlon Muller, an attorney and member of the New York Irish History Roundtable. She first interviewed Paul O'Dwyer, who suggested that she also interview Michael Flannery. At this time, Muller worked in the Kings County District Attorney's office, which was the impetus for interviewing Charles Hynes.
Arrangement
Original interview recordings are numbered 1-34 and arranged into three series by interviewee:
Series I: Paul O'Dwyer (1907-1998)
Series II: Michael Flannery (1902-1994)
Series III: Charles J. Hynes (1935-2019 )
Information on transcript and index locations are included only under the first appearance of an interview date in the collection.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of 34 interviews conducted by Jane Conlon Muller with three interview subjects: Paul O'Dwyer, Michael Flannery, and Charles J. Hynes. In the 22 interviews with O'Dwyer, he discusses numerous historically significant moments and movements he participated in, including educating African Americans about voting in Mississippi during the 1960s, presiding over the New York City Council, and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His interviews document many aspects of Irish American studies, immigrant experiences in America, his legal career, and his political experiences, including running for various offices, the development of the McBride Principles, and the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland. The two interviews with Michael Flannery focus on his experiences in Ireland during the War for Independence and the Irish Civil War; and his later life in the United States, including the founding of and resigning from Noraid. The interview with Charles J. Hynes concerns his childhood, family, and his involvement in Irish American affairs, beginning with the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland.
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Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Jane Conlon Muller Oral History Collection; AIA 012; box number; folder number; Archives of Irish America, Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Jane Conlon Muller in 1991 and 2000. The accession number associated with this donation is 1991.011.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Due to preservation concerns, all researchers interested in using Tamiment Library's audiovisual materials must use an access copy, which can be requested in our reading room. Our ability to create reproductions of audiovisual materials for off-site personal research use is dependent on a copyright assessment and requires a reproduction fee.
Access to some audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Original cassette recordings have been transferred to compact discs for both preservation and access.
In 2025, individual listings for original recording, preservation recording, transcript, and access copy were added to each interview subject in the inventory. Transcripts and indexes previously housed in Box 5 were rehoused into a shared legal manuscript box. Audiocassette tapes housed in Boxes 1 and 2 were consolidated into one cassette box, which was re-labeled as Box 1.
