The archive collections include over 350 unique archival and special collections.
A Rich Archive Collection Archives comprise a major research resource for researchers working on aspects of the literary, social, economic, political and cultural life of Ireland. The archive collections of the James Hardiman Library include over 350 unique archival and special collections, ranging in size from one postcard to 300 boxes of material, and dating from 1485 to the present. These make up one of the most important collections of Irish theatre archives in the world, featuring material from the Thomas Kilroy Collection, the Druid Theatre Company, Galway International Arts Festival, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, Lyric Players’ Theatre/O’Malley Collection and the Abbey Theatre and the Gate Theatre collections. The library’s world-class facilities, including a newly built 36-seat reading room and dedicated exhibition space, make it a dynamic hub for learning and showcasing innovation. NUI Galway is also home to the papers and recordings of director, writer and actor John Huston, and houses the archives of the renowned film-maker and environmentalist Éamonn de Buitléar. The Huston Archive offers a unique insight into the prolific intersection of Irish literature and American cinema. The Éamonn de Buitléar multimedia archive collection, which spans over 60 years, includes his wildlife materials, as well as original recordings and unique insights into the revival of Irish traditional music in the twentieth century. These archives are held in the James Hardiman Library at NUI Galway, which is also home to a range of other literary, historical and political archives, including the Brendan Duddy Archive, which has the full text of the ‘red book’ (a handwritten account of the 1981 hunger strike negotiations). This provides a unique insight into the resolution of the ‘Troubles,’ during which Duddy secretly acted as an intermediary between the British Government and the IRA. Other major electronic historical databases include that of the Landed Estates of Munster, c.1700–1900, and the Irish Language and Literature Collections, which feature material from Conradh na Gaeilge, the Tadhg Seoige papers and Lámhscríbhinní Dubhghlas de hÍde.
Centre for Irish Studies Since its inception in 2000, the Centre for Irish Studies has established itself as one of the pre- eminent centres worldwide for advanced teaching and interdisciplinary research on modern and contemporary Irish literature, language, music, history and culture. The centre is particularly open to innovative research on Irish writing, in both Irish and English, translation studies, space and place studies, and Irish music and dance studies. The centre has developed a number of partnerships between the creative and performing arts and the academic community at NUI Galway, including the appointments of Irish language poet, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, and the late John McGahern as honorary professors of Irish Studies. The centre has also developed a number of archival projects, including a valuable collection of songs from the repertoires of the sean-nós singers-in-residence, audio recordings of contemporary Irish writers, and the Joe Burke Archive, which provides extraordinary insights into the music tradition of East Galway and the Irish diaspora. www.nuigalway.ie/centre_irish_studies
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