Special Collections: The Archive of the Irish in Britain
Introduction
Founded in 1984, this unique collection of documents, audio and video recordings, books, photographs and ephemera catalogues the history of the Irish in Britain from the late nineteenth century to the present day.
The Archive is regularly consulted by researchers, students, academics and journalists from Britain, Ireland and further afield.
The collections mainly consist of 'grey literature' i.e. reports, newsletters, publicity leaflets and other forms of documentation produced by Irish Community organisations in Britain from 1945 to the present day. They also include some personal correspondence, oral history, postcards, minutes of meetings (of local associations and organisations), photographs, and publications.
We have a small collection of articles and reports written about the Irish in Britain over the last 150 years from academic journals, newspapers and other sources. There are also further articles, reports and press cuttings to be found in archives like the Community Collection (grouped in folders by theme).
There are many Irish organisations represented within the archives, like the London Irish Centre, the Federation of Irish Societies, the Hammersmith Irish Centre/Irish Cultural Centre and the London Irish Women's Centre.
Individuals represented include, among others, Bronwen Walter, Francis Fahy, Ultan Cowley and Alan Clinton.
To introduce a history of the Irish in Britain, we have a number of books and publications on open (and closed) access in our Reading Room which can be searched on the main library catalogue.
To search the archive collections for The Archive of Irish in Britain please use the Special Collections Catalogue, where you will also find Digital Galleries that highlight selected digitised material from across the archives. We also have a over 2,500 digitised records available to view ePrints alongside a number of academic papers written using material from The Archive of Irish Britain.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries at: specialcollections@londonmet.ac.uk
Collections Highlights
Audio Collection. A collection of oral history interviews, lectures given to the Irish in Britain History Group in the 1980s, radio programmes about the Irish in Britain and recordings of the Irish Studies Centre Public Lecture Series.
Book Collection. Books by and about the Irish in Britain houses in the Special Collections Reading Room. Most titles can be searched for using our Library Catalogue, however there are some books that are in the Box Collections, please ask staff for further details. The books can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room.
Archive of the Irish in Britain Community Collection. This collection is divided into three broad categories of culture, politics and welfare. Within these categories, there are numerous sub-categories, some related to specific issues and some related to specific groups or events.
Ephemera Collection. A small collection that includes Irish step dance medals, tee-shirts, sporting shields, rosettes, sashes and banners.
Photographs. These are from a variety of photographers, disseminated throughout the collection, dating from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Archive of the Irish in Britain Poster Collection. Posters publicising a variety of political, cultural and social events related to the Irish in Britain from the 1970s to the 21st Century.
Rare Book Collection. Histories, autobiographies and fictional accounts of the Irish in Britain dating from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Titles can be searched for using our Library Catalogue.
Student Works Collection. Student projects, dissertations and these on all aspects of the Irish experience in Britain. Whilst most of the work in this collection is of undergraduate level, much of it covers topics un-researched or under-researched elsewhere.
Video Collection. A collection of video recordings about the Irish in Britain over the last forty years, including material donated to the Archive by the Activision Irish Video Project.
I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years
'I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years... Interviews with London Irish Elders' by David Kelly. In collaboration with the Irish Studies Centre, London Metropolitan University.
Interviewees include Jack and Mary Bennett, Frank and Shirley Clerkin, Shirley Oully, Andy Higgins, Patrick Hughes, Michael Keenot, Noel Kelly, Chris Maguire, Pat McGann, Madge Messenger, Máire Ni Chuínn, Con Shanahan, Tom Timmins and John Thompson.
Interviewer Kathy O'Regan.