New York Irish History Roundtable Records
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Abstract
The New York Irish History Roundtable, founded in 1984, encourages research on the history of the Irish in New York, New York, and provides a forum for professional and amateur historians and genealogists sharing an interest in this topic. The Roundtable sponsors lectures, walking tours, graduate and undergraduate scholarships and awards, exhibitions, genealogy workshops, and publishes books, a bi-annual newsletter, and an annual journal, New York Irish History. The collection documents all activities of the Roundtable from 1984 to 2011 and includes files of former officers and publications, both of the organization and on topics of interest to the officers and members. The collection consists of mainly paper material, with some digital and audiovisual material. Material in the collection includes correspondence, paper and digital drafts and published versions of Roundtable publications, photographs of events, agendas and minutes documenting meetings of the Board of Directors and Roundtable committees, and audiovisual material documenting special projects of the Roundtable.
Historical Note
Since 1984 the New York Irish History Roundtable has encouraged research and provided a forum for historians and genealogists sharing an interest in the history of the Irish in New York, New York. Past projects conducted by the Roundtable include an attempt to create an index for the newspaper Irish Echo, an oral history of people who lived in Irish neighborhoods in New York City, and the restoration of the gravestone of Matilda Tone. Past events and museum exhibits include a dinner commemorating the Irish famine in the 19th century and its effects on New York City, an exhibit on traditional Irish music and dance in New York City, walking tours of New York City cemeteries, and genealogy workshops. The Roundtable and its members contributed to the publication of a bibliography of theses and dissertations titled The Irish Experience in New York City compiled by Ann M. Shea and Marion Casey, and an anthology titled The New York Irish edited by Ronald H. Bayor and Timothy J. Meagher, both on the history of the Irish in New York City. In addition to these publications, the Roundtable publishes an annual journal, New York Irish History, and their bi-annual newsletter.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series. Material in each series is physically arranged in the order in which it was received from the donor. The container list for each series is arranged in alphabetical order by organization name, title of work, topic, or format.
Series I. Ann M. Shea Files
Series II. Marion Casey Files
Series III. Clare Curtin Files
Series IV. Angela Carter Files
Scope and Contents
The New York Irish History Roundtable Records document the activities of the Roundtable from 1984 to 2011 and include files of former officers. The collection consists of mainly paper material, with some digital and audiovisual material, and dates from 1867 to 2011, with the bulk of the material dating between 1987 and 2003. Material in the collection includes correspondence between officers and members, Roundtable publications, membership files, financial documents, photographs and programs of events, agendas and minutes documenting meetings of the Board of Directors and Roundtable committees, books on historical topics of interest to Roundtable officers, and audiovisual material documenting Roundtable projects. The collection documents the Roundtable's publications, including its bi-annual newsletter and annual journal, New York Irish History. Other publications in the collection include an anthology, The New York Irish, edited by Ronald H. Bayor and Timothy J. Meagher, and a bibliography of theses and dissertations, The Irish Experience in New York City, compiled by Ann M. Shea and Marion Casey. Material related to the Roundtable's publications includes drafts and final versions in paper and digital formats, correspondence regarding these publications, and audio recordings of presentations of chapters from The New York Irish at the 1992 meeting of the Organization of American Historians. Roundtable events and projects documented in the collection include the 10th anniversary of the Roundtable, the restoration of the gravestone of Matilda Tone in 1994 in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, and an oral history project conducted by Roundtable members. There is a large amount of material on the exhibit, Gaelic Gotham, held at the Museum of the City of New York in 1996. This material consists of paper and born-digital material and includes correspondence regarding the planning of the exhibit by the Roundtable and the Museum, clippings and correspondence regarding the final exhibit, the public's reaction to it, and the Roundtable's 1997 report on the exhibit titled Gaelic Gotham Report. There is duplication throughout the collection, with each series documenting the same events and topics.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the New York Irish History Roundtable were transferred to New York University in 2004 by Frank Naughton. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. Please contact special.collections@nyu.edu or 212-998-2596.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; New York Irish History Roundtable Records; AIA 018; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
In 2004, the New York Irish History Roundtable sent a gift of 10 cubic feet. Additional donations were received in 2009 and 2018. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.049, 2012.083, 2012.088, and 2018.110.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu or 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Appraisal
Four floppy disks were deaccessioned after forensic imaging and analysis determined items contained no usable data.
One floppy disk was discarded due to mold growth, however before being removed, this disk was forensically imaged and analyzed.
Duplicates of the Roundtable's publications, off-air recordings of radio shows, and publications not related to the Roundtable or Irish history were deaccessioned.
Legal materials related to Marion Casey's dispute with the Museum of the City of New York with regards to Gaelic Gotham were removed from the collection since these items are protected by attorney-client privilege.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Series were created according to the arrangement in which the collection was received and material was arranged together intellectually. Paper material for each series was brought together physically, with oversized paper materials, audiovisual material, and physical digital media housed together as appropriate. Separation sheets were created to sustain the intellectual relationship between items.
Paper material was housed in archival folders and boxes. Physical digital media and audiovisual material were housed in archival boxes. Preservation photocopies were created for material originally printed on thermal fax paper.
Floppy disks and optical media forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged in Forensic Toolkit.
New York University Libraries follows professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity of the content.
In Fall 2021, materials related to Gaelic Gotham and other Museum of the City of New York exhibits were removed from the Glucksman Ireland House Records (AIA 038) and placed into Series II: Marion Casey Files, since these items are directly related to her involvement with the museum.
In December 2025, digital objects for processed electronic records were created to conform to current practices. New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. Fifteen floppy disks and four optical discs were forensically imaged, analyzed, and arranged using Forensic Toolkit.
