My Iona

Special Collections and Archives

Viewing materials housed in Iona University Libraries Archives is by appointment only. Please contact Natalka Sawchuk for assistance.

The collections housed in the Archives Room include rare and archival materials, signed copies, and publications by Iona University faculty. See Iona's policy on Public Use of Archive Material.

These materials, in English and Gaelic, focus on the subjects of Irish literature, history, and culture. A small portion of the collection is housed in the Archives (see above). The Br. Charles B. Quinn Collection (Irish Collection) is located on the second floor of Ryan Library and follows normal circulation policies (excluding materials located in the Archives).

Over its history Iona University has collected books on or about Ireland: Irish history, literature, poetry, etc. In recent years Brother Charles Quinn has written up a list of the books Iona owns in the Irish language (Gaelic). The list numbers just short of 1,000 titles, entries are listed alphabetically by author (or editor), or by title.

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This collection consists of materials on the life and work of Brother Edmund Ignatius Rice (1762-1844), founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers. The materials also address the history of the Christian Brothers and are comprised of biographies and histories. Brother Edmund Rice was beatified in October, 1996.

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This collection consists of monographs and pamphlets donated by Eileen Egan in memory of her brother, John Mark Egan C. F. C. (1920-1978). Brother John Mark Egan contributed to the mission of the Irish Christian Brothers for over 30 years and was an important part of Iona University. Eileen Egan is the co-founder of Pax Christi and has authored dozens of books. The materials in this collection are on the subjects of peace and justice, and nonviolence and are integrated into all areas of the Libraries' collection. The materials circulate depending on their location.

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153 titles on Ireland and Irish history from Christopher T. Emmet, descendant of Robert Emmet, who led a rebellion for Ireland in 1803.

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The Ionian, originally published in 1941 as the Iona Pinnacle, is a newspaper covering events of interest to New Rochelle, NY and the Iona community. The archive covers Vol. 2 No. 1 published in November 1941 through Vol. 89 No. 7 published May 8, 2014.

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Michael Joseph O'Brien, 1870-1960, was the Historiographer for the American Irish Historical Society. His work focused on Irish living in Revolutionary America. Topics of his published books include the Colonies, immigration populations, colonial newspapers, and education. The collection also includes a yet unpublished manuscript depicting Irish school teachers in the colonies. The collection is approximately 8 linear feet and includes his correspondence, handwritten notes, publication drafts, and notebooks of data.

59 titles from the Christian Brothers community in St. John’s Newfoundland.

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At one time, this collection of monographs and pamphlets belonged to Sean MacBride (1904-1988), an important figure in Ireland's political history and struggle for independence from Britain. Sean Macbride was a co-founder of Amnesty International and was the only person to be awarded both the Nobel and the Lenin Peace Prizes.

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Iona's digital archive of New Rochelle's Thanhouser Company, containing photos, letters, music scores, ads, and other ephemera from its studio years (1909-1917).

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The collection consists of more than 200 items created in the mid/late 18th and 19th centuries comprised of monographs, pamphlets, booklets, newspapers, newspaper clippings, ephemera, collectibles and tokens, professional and personal papers of Paine, booklets, prints, photographs, and glass-plate negatives. These include texts, pamphlets or letters written or published by Paine himself. There are multiple first or early edition copies of Paine's famous writings such as Common Sense, Rights of Man and Agrarian Justice.

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The Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations series was donated by Lieutenant Commander (ret.), NYPD Vernon J. Geberth, an alumnus of Iona University (1967). Lt. Commander Geberth, who authored several books in this collection, is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on homicide investigation. His book Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures, and Forensic Techniques is known as the definitive source for homicide investigation and is widely used by police departments and police academies throughout the United States. Other books in this series discuss counterterrorism, drug enforcement, and forensic investigation.

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William York Tindall (1903-1981) was a professor of English at Columbia University. Dr. Tindall was a scholar of British and Irish literature and authored several literary criticisms of writers such as James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and W.B. Yeats. The Tindall Collection consists of several books signed by Dr. Tindall and donated to Iona University. All are studies of the literature of James Joyce and may be located in the Irish Reading Room on the second floor of Ryan Library.

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