The Library is open Tuesday and Saturday from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Please call the Library at 773-282-7035, extension 19 for more information, or to schedule a special visit.
The Library at the Irish American Heritage Center opened its doors to the public in January 2006. The Library’s interior is a tribute to Irish craftsmen and artists who labored for many years to bring this beautiful space to the Irish American community. The stunning literary border painted by Edward Cox and researched by Margaret Reid highlights the contributions of the Irish to the world of literature.
The Children’s/Lecture room boasts a mural by Edward Cox and framed pictures of story characters with Gaelic descriptions.
The Library has a collection of approximately 25,000 books, 3000 LPs, 1000 audiocassettes, 500 CDs, sheet music, and an extensive pamphlet collection in addition to specific strengths in the areas of history and literature.
The Children’s collection concentrates on Irish tales, folklore, and general fiction in English and Irish.
Special Collections:
Irish Newspaper Archives is proud to sponsor the Center’s Library and offer open access to the world’s largest and oldest database of Irish newspapers.
Visit the IAHC Library and search, retrieve and explore newspapers dating from 1738 to the current day. The archives offer more than 8 million pages of Irish periodical content contained in more than 64 regional, daily and out-of-print titles.
Delve into the archives to read events all across Ireland, search for historical content and keep up-to-date with the full-color digital newspaper archive. Interested in genealogy? Trace your Irish heritage and lost relations through the world’s largest database of Irish births, deaths, and marriages. Go back in time to revisit some of Ireland’s most harrowing and greatest historical moments with an editorial print from the time of the Great Famine, the Easter Rising, the Irish Civil War, and the birth of the Republic.
Access to www.irishnewsarchives.com is available by visiting the IAHC Library. Access is unlimited during Library hours, and there is no charge to use the archives.
Thanks to the generosity of many donors in the Irish community, the Library and the Archives house collections in specific areas:
- Dennis Watson Musical Collection of CDs and Sheet Music from 1850 to 1950
- Eileen McNulty Poetry Collection from Kennys in Galway
- Emmett Larkin Collection on the Church of Ireland
- Liam MacGabham Celtic Language Collection that includes books and audiovisual materials.
- Genealogy Collection
The facsimile of the Book of Kells is now housed in the Museum.