Library Collections

The Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame have one of the richest and most extensive Irish Studies collections in America. 

“Scholars come to Notre Dame in the dead of winter from Dublin, Oxford, Sydney, Boston, and a myriad of points in between to explore one of the world’s most comprehensive archives of Irish resources,” notes Christopher Fox, Professor of English and former director of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies. “This is a reality that speaks both to the richness of our Irish Studies collection and the expertise of Aedín Ní Bhróithe Clements, the librarian who cultivates it.”

Included in the collections are the personal library of Captain Francis O’Neill, the Vienken and Michael Foot Collections of Jonathan Swift, and the collection of Edmund Burke’s bibliographer, William B. Todd.

The Loeber Collection forms the basis for the Irish Fiction Collection, possibly the most wide-ranging Irish fiction collection in the world, and a further Loeber Collection of Irish periodicals was acquired in 2016. The Irish theatre collection includes twentieth century programs and scripts, and printed plays from earlier centuries.

Manuscript collections include the papers of writer Patrick McCabe, the archives of Arlen House Publishers, a collection of J. J. O’Kelly’s papers and a collection of Robert Lynd’s correspondence.

In addition to the collections held by the Hesburgh Library, a growing number of services are offered to scholars who wish to apply digital technology to their research. The Center for Digital Scholarship provides technology and expertise for those interested in applying text-mining or other digital tools to Irish studies.

Aedín Ní Bhróithe Clements is the Irish Studies Librarian and Curator. She and her colleagues are happy to discuss any aspect of these collections, to provide guidance, and to meet with classes and groups engaged in any aspect of Irish Studies.  Her lively blog post is fascinating reading: Irish Studies at the Hesburgh Library

Read more about the Hesburgh Library's Irish Studies Collections:

Irish Studies Collections (Special Collections)

Irish Studies Resources for Graduate Research