Archives of Irish America Collection of Irish Institute of New York
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Abstract
The Irish Institute of New York, originally known as the American Irish Feis Institute, is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and philanthropic endeavors since 1950. The collection consists of meeting minutes, correspondence, annual dinner programs and speeches, brochures, financial reports, and committee information.
Historical Note
The Irish Institute of New York was founded in 1950 as the American Irish Feis Institute by County Mayo native Paul O'Dwyer. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and philanthropic endeavors. The Institute's building on West 48th Street served as the headquarters for scores of Irish organizations between 1952 and 1982. Since 1960 the Institute has distributed more than one million dollars to non-profit organizations in both the United States (US) and Ireland.
The American Irish Feis Institute was created in 1950 to establish a center for Irish activities in New York. The founders included Paul O'Dwyer, Sean Keating, Joseph F. McLoughlin, James FitzPatrick, Patrick Corley, Michael Mullvaney, William B. Burke, John Niblo, Dorothy Hayden Cudahy, and other prominent members of the New York Irish community. Their goal was to promote Irish culture and provide financial support for fledgling projects both in the US and Ireland. The organization officially changed its name to the Irish Institute of New York, Inc. three years later. In 1952, under the leadership of its board chairman, Paul O'Dwyer, the Institute purchased a building at 326 West 48th Street in New York City to serve as their Irish center. For almost thirty years, this building was headquarters to hundreds of Irish American organizations who paid little or no rent.
During its early years, the Institute was plagued with financial worries. The Institute tried a variety of fundraising schemes, including charter tours to Ireland and an annual fundraising dinner, the latter which proved most successful. With the political connections of Mayor William O'Dwyer and other public officials, the Institute was able to feature such figures as Congressman Charles Buckley (D-NY), and Senator John F. Kennedy (D-MA) as honored guests at the annual dinner. By 1960, the Institute had paid off its mortgage and began to establish its grant fund. The first grant was awarded that year to the Irish Arts Council in Dublin in the amount of $5,000. In 1966, the Institute contributed $150,000 to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Arboretum in Wexford as a memorial to the late president and an attempt to aid Ireland's reforestation project.
The Institute was forced to sell the original building at West 48th Street in 1982 due to rising costs and a decreasing New York Irish population. A result of this sale, however, was an increase the Institute's grant awards. Grants in excess of $100,000 were made to the Irish American Cultural Institute for scholarship purposes and to the New York Irish History Roundtable to commission the publication, The New York Irish, edited by Ronald H. Bayor and Timothy Meagher, a collection of scholarly essays published in 1996.
Since 1990 the Irish Institute has supported the work of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center and its predecessor, the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (with grants totaling more than $75,000), as well as Glucksman Ireland House at New York University, the Pat Finucane Centre in Derry and the Conway Mill Project in West Belfast.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into five series as follows:
Series I. American Irish Feis Institute, 1950-1959 Series II. General and Administrative Files, 1950-2018 Series III. Financial Records, 1953-1997 Series IV. Audio Materials, 1960 Series V. United Irish Foundation Records, 1982-2004
The original order of the material was maintained. Material in the 2016 accretion in Series II and V has not been arranged by an archivist and is arranged in the order in which it was received from the donor. Material in the 2018 accretion was added to Series II in boxes 7-11.
Scope and Contents
The collection documents the work of the Irish Institute of New York and its charitable programs. Material includes meeting minutes, correspondence, annual dinner programs and speeches, brochures, financial reports, committee information, digital and print photographs, grant applications, and reports on programs funded through the Institute.
Subjects
People
Conditions Governing Access
Open to users without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Dorothy Hayden Cudahy were transferred to New York University in 1966 by Dorothy Hayden Cudahy. Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by John Garvey were transferred to New York University in 2005 by John Garvey. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library.
The Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives has no information about copyright ownership for material donated by Kevin Morrissey, James A. Lombard, and James Cuggy, and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it. Materials in this collection, which were created in 1960-2017, are expected to enter the public domain in 2080.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Archives of Irish America Collection of Irish Institute of New York; AIA 020; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accretions were donated by Kevin Morrisey in August 2016, and James A. Lombard and James Cuggy in 2018. Accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2016.070 and 2018.094.
Custodial History
The material in this collection consists of accessions from two officers of the Irish Institute. Material on the Institute's early years was acquired as part of the Dorothy Hayden Cudahy Collection and separated in 1996. Cudahy was the first secretary of the Irish Institute and a life-long friend of founder Paul O'Dwyer. In 2001 Kevin Morrissey donated materials covering the years 1966-1982 which had been turned over to him when he was elected President of the Irish Institute. In 2005, John Garvey donated four reel-to-reel audio tapes from the Annual Dinner of the Irish Institute of New York, 12 March 1960. The 2016 accretion was picked up from Kevin Morrissey by Marion Casey in August 2016 and transferred to the Tamiment Library in November 2016.
The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.048 and 2016.070.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted.
Born-digital materials have not been transferred and may not be available to researchers. Researchers may request access copies. To request that material be transferred, or if you are unsure if material has been transferred, please contact [repository contact information] with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
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 [repository contact information] 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
Material in the 2018 accretion has not been arranged by an archivist. The materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor. Materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes, and the original folder titles were transcribed.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
Series I. American Irish Feis Institute, 1950-1959, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
The small collection of material in Series I. American Irish Feis Institute refers to the original name of the Irish Institute and contains the original Articles of Incorporation, correspondence, minutes and membership information.
American Irish Feis Institute: Administrative, 1952-1959, inclusive
American Irish Feis Institute: Articles of Incorporation, 1950, inclusive
American Irish Feis Institute: Membership information, 1950s, undated, inclusive
American Irish Feis Institute: Minutes, 1950-1953, undated, inclusive
Series II. General and Administrative Files, 1950-2018, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This series includes correspondence and other materials on grants, the Annual Dinner, and guests of honor; notices of meetings and meeting minutes; photographs; files on the Institute's building at 326 West 48th Street in Manhattan; a history by Paul O'Dwyer; information on board members; and corporate documents. The 2016 accretion includes correspondence and financial documents from 1991 to 2006 documenting fundraising efforts and grants awarded by the Institute.
Material in the 2018 accretion contains files maintained by James A. Lombard as president of the Institute between 2008 and 2018, and by James Cuggy as the vice president during the same time period. The material dates between 1978 and 2018, and consists of correspondence, financial documents, membership forms, minutes, photographs, a history of the organization, and copies of its constitution and by-laws. The bulk of the material dates between 2010 and 2015. Both Lombard and Cuggy's files document grants made by the Institute in support of Irish and Irish American cultural programs, in particular New York University's Glucksman Ireland House. Lombard's files contain bank statements, tax documents, and correspondence regarding the Institute's funds. His files also document award and installation of officers ceremonies through correspondence, planning documents, and photographs. Cuggy's files contain a small amount of material regarding Dorothy Hayden Cudahy's involvement in the Irish Institute, as well as the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and the United Irish Counties Association. This material dates from 1987 to 2010 and consists of correspondence, newsletters, membership lists, and a dues card.
Administrative, 1950, inclusive
Administrative, 1952-1954, inclusive
Administrative, 1965, inclusive
Administrative (includes photographs), 1971, inclusive
Administrative, 1972-1975, inclusive
Administrative, 1989, inclusive
Administrative - Correspondence, 1990, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1955, 1954-1955, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1956, 1956, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1957: John F. Kennedy, Guest of Honor, 1957, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1958, 1958, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1959, 1958-1959, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1960: Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. - Guest of Honor, 1960, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1961: Hon. John T. Clancy, Guest of Honor, 1961, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1962: Hon. Sean P. Keating, Guest of Honor, 1962, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1963: Hon. John F. English, Guest of Honor, 1963, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1964: Hon. Francis J. Barry, Guest of Honor, 1964, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1965: Hon. Michael J. Murphy, Guest of Honor, 1965, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1967: Hon. Robert F. Kennedy, Guest of Honor, 1967, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1969, 1969, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1971: Thomas H. Quinn, Guest of Honor, 1971, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1971: Thomas W. Gleason, Guest of Honor, 1972, inclusive
Annual Dinner 1978: Leon and Jill Uris, Guests of Honor, 1978, inclusive
Annual Presentation of Grants, 2000-
Ballintubber Abbey, County Mayo (includes photographs), 1966, inclusive
Bicentennial: United States, 1776-1976, 1976, inclusive
Board: Constitution, By-Laws, Minutes, 1983-1985, inclusive
Board of Directors and Officers, 1980-1985, inclusive
Board of Officers Meeting, Feb 3, 1976, inclusive
Brendan Voyage Concert, 1986, inclusive
Brochures, 1952, 1975, 1993, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street, 1979-1982, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street, 1981-1988, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Correspondence (Department of Buildings), 1980-1981, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Easement, 1980-1981, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Environmental Registration, 1982, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Permits, Lease, Blueprint, 1954, 1981-1982, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Sale of, 1970-1973, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Sale of, 1982-1983, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Sale of - Hiney Ministries - Jews for Jesus, 1982-1983, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Sale of - L.B. Kale Associates Ltd. v. Jews for Jesus, 1982-1988, inclusive
Building: 326 West 48th Street: Sale of to Motion Picture Studio Mechanics, Local 52, I.A.T.S.E. (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes), 1983, inclusive
Certificate of Name Change (New York Deparment of State), 1953, inclusive
Clare Heritage Center, County Clare, Ireland, 1984-1989, inclusive
Committee on Irish Ethnicity, undated
Constitution and By-Laws, 1972, undated, inclusive
Constitution and By-Laws, 1966, 1979, inclusive
Corporate Resolutions, 1980, inclusive
Correspondence, 1961-1962, inclusive
Correspondence, 1963-1965, inclusive
Correspondence, 1967, inclusive
Correspondence, 1968-1969, inclusive
Correspondence, 1970, inclusive
Correspondence, 1973, inclusive
Correspondence (includes list of Officers), 1975, inclusive
Correspondence, 1977-1980, inclusive
Correspondence, 1980-1984, inclusive
Correspondence, 1980-1988, inclusive
Correspondence, 1989, inclusive
Correspondence, 1989-1995, inclusive
Correspondence - project grants, 1996, inclusive
Correspondence (includes handwritten draft of meeting minutes, undated), 1997, inclusive
Correspondence, 1998, inclusive
Cuggy, James -- Office files, 1978-2016, inclusive
Evacuation Day Celebration, 1982-1983, inclusive
Fundraising, 1981, inclusive
Gaelic Gotham - Museum of the City of New York, 1996, inclusive
History (of the Institute) by Paul O'Dwyer, 1984, inclusive
Irish American Cultural Institute (St. Paul, MN): Trees for Ireland, 1985-1990, inclusive
Irish Arts Council (An Comirie Ealaion), 1960-1974, inclusive
Irish Freedom Committee, circa 1960s, inclusive
Irish Network, Inc. (American-Irish Media Organization - Irish Conflict), 1983-1985, inclusive
Irish School of Ecumenics, 1986, inclusive
James Mulvaney Fellowship in Irish Studies (St. John's University, New York), 1984, inclusive
John F. Kennedy Memorial Park : County Wexford, Ireland, 1968, inclusive
John Street Methodist Church Plaque, 1967-1983, 1989, inclusive
Kilkenny: Deed (includes Photographs), 1974, inclusive
Lombard, James A. -- Office files, 1984-2018, inclusive
Makemie, Rev. Francis: Plaque (Bowling Green, NYC) (photographs), 1982, inclusive
Makemie, Rev. Francis: Plaque (Bowling Green, NYC), 1982-1984, inclusive
Mayo Martyrs Memorial, Feb 13, 1977, inclusive
Membership Cards (blank), undated
Members and Mailing List, circa 1988, inclusive
Meeting Minutes, 1954-1971, inclusive
Meeting Minutes, 1983, inclusive
Meeting Notices, 1980-1984, inclusive
Meeting Notices, 1985-1992, inclusive
Merriman School / Kilkenny School, 1967-1968, inclusive
The New York Irish: publication and release I, 1989-1996, inclusive
The New York Irish: publication and release II, 1989-1996, inclusive
Newsletter, 1976, inclusive
O'Donnell, Peadar (author), 1982, inclusive
O'Dwyer, Paul: Conor Cruise O'Brien Today Show Interview on, Apr 28, 1975, inclusive
Pat Finucane Center, 1997, inclusive
Patrick O'Sullivan Historical Research Fund, 1986-1987, inclusive
Photographs: Irish Institute, 1984, inclusive
Photographs: Board Members, Feb 19, 1987, inclusive
Photographs: Various, mostly unidentified, 1989, inclusive
Photographs: Board Members; Fr. Thomas Conagh, St. John's University, 1965, undated, inclusive
The President Kennedy Memorial Committee, 1964-1965, inclusive
Stokestown Park House: County Roscomman, Famine Museum, 1989, inclusive
Tom Paine Award Dinner, 1987-1988, inclusive
United Irish Counties Association: List of Affiliated Organizations, 1977, inclusive
2016 accretion, 1991-2006, inclusive
Series III. Financial Records, 1953-1997, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Series III. Financial Records includes a cash book from the 1970s, a ledger spanning 1966-1975 and other regular financial reports such as balance sheets. Also included are tax returns for the years 1974-1990.
Financial Reports, 1953-1997, inclusive
Cash Book, 1976-1979, inclusive
Charters (flights), 1964-1968, inclusive
Exempt Status (as a Charitable Organization), 1955-1990, inclusive
Ledger, 1966-1975, inclusive
Rice Account, 1983-1984, inclusive
Savings Passbooks, 1976-1979, inclusive
Tax Exempt Status, 1980-1982, inclusive
Tax Returns, 1974-1979, inclusive
Tax Returns, 1980-1990, 1997, inclusive
Series IV. Audio Materials, 1960
Scope and Content Note
Series IV. Audio Materials includes four reel tapes from the Annual Dinner which featured Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. as the Guest of Honor.
Annual Dinner - Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. Guest of Honor - speeches (4 reels) Ask Archivist for permission to use, Mar 12, 1960, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
Reel 1: a)MC - Jack [no last name] b)Irish Institute President, Sean Keating, introduces panel c)John Conway
Reel 2: a)Paul O'Keefe, Deputy Mayor b)Paul O'Dwyer, Executive Director of Institute
Reel 3: a)End of O'Dwyer b)Harry Hirschfield, comedian
Reel 4: a)End of Hirschfield b)Harry Van Arsdale, Central Labor Council President: Topics - Civil Rights, Unions, Under compensation of migrant workers, minimum wage, the Irish
Series V. United Irish Foundation Records, 1982-2004, inclusive; 1982-1986, bulk
Scope and Contents
Material in this series dates between 1982 and 2004 and documents the work of the United Irish Foundation's Community Action Bureaus in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Material in this series includes correspondence, financial material, clippings, reports, grant applications, and photographs.
Historical Note
The United Irish Foundation was founded in 1976 to assist poor, elderly, needy, or disabled people in New York City. The Foundation aimed primarily to assist Irish Americans but was not limited to this group. Its headquarters were in the Irish Institute of New York's building on West 48th Street in Manhattan. Its Community Action Bureaus in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens participated in the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and the Federal Surplus Food distribution program, among others.
