Archives of Irish America Material Culture and Ephemera Collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Archives of Irish America (AIA) Material Culture and Ephemera Collection is an artificial collection composed of objects individually donated or found in other AIA collections. The collection consists of various items such as buttons, bumper stickers, hats, tickets, membership cards, pens, pins, musical instruments, and t-shirts -- many of which relate to Irish and Irish American organizations.
Historical Note
The Archives of Irish America Material Culture and Ephemera Collection compliments the entire Archives of Irish America because its contents provide information on many topics and individuals not formally represented in the other collections. The unique format of many of the materials - hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers - provide insight to scholars and researchers in the methods used to convey information within the Irish American community.
Arrangement
Items are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of various items such as buttons, bumper stickers, hats, tickets, membership cards, pens, pins, musical instruments, and t-shirts -- many of which relate to Irish and Irish American organizations. Contents of the collection came in as individual accessions or as part of larger accessions, including the Dorothy Hayden Cudahy Irish Memories Collection, and were organized together into this artificial collection.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
The Tamiment Library does not have information about who owns copyright to this collection. Materials in this collection are expected to enter the public domain in 2125. The Tamiment Library is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Archives of Irish America, Tamiment Library
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was created via active collection by staff, contributions from donors, and from material removed from other AIA collections. The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.023, 2012.037, and 2019.114.
Custodial History
Items in the Archives of Irish America Material Culture and Ephemera Collection were donated, purchased, or found in other AIA collections.
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 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 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.
About this Guide
Processing Information
2019 accretion materials were processed and described by an archivist in the fall of 2022. During processing, paper materials were placed in new acid-free folders and housed in a shared archival manuscript box. T-shirts were carefully wrapped in tissue paper, folded, and rehoused into a single archival flat box. Fragile artifacts were rehoused into individual boxes by New York University's Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department. One audio reel was assigned a unique AV identifer and housed into an AV shared box. The container list was updated to reflect the addition of accrection materials. At this time, the abstract and scope and content note were also updated.
In October 2022, a button accordion and its case were transferred to the AIA Material Culture and Ephemera Collection from the Mickey Carton Collection (AIA.065). This was the only item found within that collection. As of 2022, the Mickey Carton Collection (AIA.065) no longer exists.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
View Inventory
Armband: "Formation", undated
Armbands: "Frank Stagg, RIP" (IRA hunger strike), circa 1970s
Ashtray: "Ireland" / Made in the Republic of Ireland by N.B.C. Ltd., undated
Audio Reel: St. Patrick's Day, 1980
Badges, Name Tags, & Ribbons, 1945-1992, inclusive
Banner: Brehon Law Society, undated
Banner: Irish American Heritage Committee of the New York City Department of Education
Baseball cap with image of Irish flag, undated
Baseball cap with "N.Y. State Convention A.O.H. Niagra Falls 1987 Albany, N.Y. in '89" Silkscreen, 1989, inclusive
Bookmark: "An Olde Irish Toast", undated
Bookmark with copper pence: Bank of Ireland, undated
Bumper Sticker: "The Irish Will Remember in November", undated
Subjects
Genres
Bumper Sticker: "Save the Leprechaun", undated
Bumper Sticker: "Strip Search the Queen", undated
Bumper sticker: "There's every reason to buy Irish", undated
Button Accordion and Case, undated
Scope and Contents
The button accordion and case came with two tags, one of which had the logo for the Museum of the City of the New York and Adrian Flannelly's address. The second tag reads, "Ireland America the Ties That Bind" Music Vitrine "Micky Carton" button accordion case. Ireland America the Ties That Bind was a 2011 exhibition presented by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, in collaboration with New York University's Glucksman Ireland House, the Irish Film Institute, and Culture Ireland. The exhibition was curated by Professor Marion R. Casey from Glucksman Ireland House. This accordion was featured in this exhibition.
