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Irish Music

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Archival Collections at BC

Library Research Guide

Irish Music Archives

The Irish Music Archives of John J. Burns Library documents Irish music in America. Alongside published items such as books and commercial recordings, the collections include unpublished (archival) materials such as photographs, letters, and private recordings. A particular focus is traditional Irish music from the East Coast of the United States.

The Irish and Irish American collections of Burns Library are internationally recognized, and the library welcomes researchers from around the world. To ask a question or schedule an appointment, please use our contact form. 

Finding archival materials

Use Burns Library Archival Collections to search many archival collections at once.

  • When you see an item you'd like to request, click the “Add to My Request List” button in the upper right corner.
  • To save your list or place a request, make sure to create an account.
  • Use the "Print" button to download an easy-to-read PDF.
  • Books, commercial recordings, and other published materials can be found and requested via the Libraries' catalog.

Burns Library's archival finding aids featuring Irish music content, A-Z

Archival content online

Some selections from the Irish Music Archives can be viewed or listened to online, including: 

Finding published materials: books, CDs, videos, journals, etc.

Most published items, such as books, sheet music, and recordings, are listed individually in the library catalog. For search tips, or to find something specific, please contact the library.

Featured collections of published material:

Mission

The Irish Music Archives were established at Burns Library with recordings from the 1990 Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival. The festival's organizer, visiting ethnomusicology professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, deposited these materials at Burns Library to encourage creation of an archives of Irish traditional music in the U.S. 

Today, the Irish Music Archives seeks to document achievements and values that have helped sustain communities, recognizing individuals and groups that have provided inspiration outside of mainstream commercial culture. Although documenting such contributions can be elusive, the effort to capture the music of ordinary life across decades will enable listeners and scholars to better understand today’s repertoire and style, and to better understand social developments in the Irish diaspora. 

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