Library Collections
The Hesburgh Libraries at Notre Dame have one of the richest and most extensive Irish Studies collections in the United States.
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.
In early 2024, Aedín Ní Bhróithe Clements retired after many years in the role of Irish Studies Librarian and Curator. Of Notre Dame's Irish Studies collection under her care, Christopher Fox, professor of English and former director of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, said, “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. 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.” Clements' lively blog "Irish Studies at the Hesburgh Library" is still available to read.
In the fall of 2024, Matthew Knight (mknight2@nd.edu) joined the university as the new Irish Studies Librarian and Curator. He and his 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.