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 The Library will be closed during the month of August
The Irish American Heritage Center’s Library opened its doors to the public in January 2006. The library includes books, periodicals, newspapers and audiovisual materials that focus on every aspect of Irish and Irish American life.
One of the physical highlights of the library is the literary border, designed and hand painted by artist Edward Cox and researched by Peg Reid. The border wraps around the ceiling and includes the names of well-known writers of Irish descent: Arthur Conan Doyle, William Faulkner, F.Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, Sean O'Casey, Edgar Allen Poe, George Bernard Shaw, John Steinbeck, Bram Stoker, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, Brendan Behan, Sean O’Casey, Flannery O’Connor, Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis, Henry James, Joyce Kilmer, John Steinbeck, Veronica Guerin, Maeve Brennan, Ellen Berlin, Dorothy Day, Alice McDermott, Joyce Carol Oates, Jack London and more.
It serves as an invaluable way of learning about Irish and Irish American leaders who established academic institutions, founded movements and spread ideas that have impacted Irish American culture forever.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
-Archival Rare Book Collection that includes a facsimilie edition of the Book of Kells, Lindisfarne, Annals of Ireland and the Chief O'Neill musical anthologies
-Genealogy Collection, plus ongoing free genealogy sessions
-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 MacGabhann Celtic Language Collection that includes books and audiovisuals
Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays - 4-8pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-1 pm
Friday closed
Saturday 9-3pm
Sunday open on the 2nd and last Sunday of the month.
"The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man; nothing else that he builds ever lasts... Monuments fall, nations perish, civilizations grow old and die out. After an era of darkness, new races build others; but in the world of books are volumes that live on still as young and fresh as the day they were written—still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead...." —Clarence Day
Great Irish Books Club
September 2010-May 2011
1pm-3pm in the Library
On the second Sunday of the month during most months, the Library hosts discussions of great Irish and Irish-American writers. We charge no fees, give no tests, and we don’t require perfect attendance. Choose the writers and books you want to discuss and come when you can.
It sometimes happens that speakers appear at the Center to talk about their books or their areas of expertise on the same days that our discussions are scheduled. In those cases, we try to have our cakes and eat them too—we may abbreviate our discussion to attend the speaker. This is not required, and is decided by the consensus of the group. For more information, contact moderator, Virginia Gibbons at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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- Sept. 12 Galway Bay Mary Pat Kelly 2009
The new saga of the Irish to Chicago during the Famine.
- Oct. 10 The Famine Liam O’Flaherty 1937
A classic by one of the greatest Irish writers of the 20th century.
- Nov. 14 At Weddings and Wakes Alice McDermott 1992
A lyrical, finely observed novel of family life.
- Dec. 12 The Yellow House Patricia Falvey 2009
A compelling exploration of the searing personal conflicts endured during the Irish war for independence.
- Jan. 9 Stalking Irish Madness Patrick Tracey 2009
Courageously honest, groundbreaking examination of a tragic, baffling element of Irish and Irish-American life
- Feb. 13 Let the Great World Spin Colum McCann 2009
An unforgettable tale of an unforgettable day in New York.
- Mar. 13 The Chairman Mark Quinn 2009
A fictional look at the Chicago tradition of political chicanery.
- Apr. 10 The Woman Who Walked into Doors Roddy Doyle 1996
Paula Spencer 2006
A double: a sensitive portrait of a modern Irish woman falling into her own abyss, and a sequel observing her attempts to climb out
- May 15 Tortilla Curtain T.C. Boyle 1995
A powerful, unrelenting depiction of a contemporary American tragedy.
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