In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, DePaul Special Collections and Archives would like to highlight a recent donation from alumni Kevin and Maureen Smith Cogan of four Irish and English books dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, acquired in Dublin while traveling. The donation includes Cyprianus Anglicus: or the History of the Life and Death, of the most Reverend and Renowned Prelate William[…]by P. Heylyn D.D. (1719, undergoing conservation before cataloging), The History of Ireland, Ancient and Modern, Taken from the Most Authentic Records, and Dedicated to the Irish Brigade, by the abbé Mac-Geoghegan (1844), A Defence of the Doctrine and Worship of the Church of England […] (1809?) bound with Three More Pebbles Fresh from the Brook[…] (1809?), and a copy of The Seasons by James Thomson from 1806 that is bound with a collection of Irish songs. These books are wonderful additions to our collection of Irish literature and drama that continues to grow from generous gifts to Special Collections and Archives.
The Irish book collection originally came to DePaul in 1927 from the Illinois Chapter of the American-Irish History Society with hopes that the collection would have a larger audience at its new home. The books were cataloged thanks to funding from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934. The collection originally featured items of American-Irish interest, but through the donations and purchases the collection has expanded to include items of Irish interest and literature from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Irish Literary Renaissance, a particular strength of the collection. In the 1970s, Dr. William Feeney from the Department of English expanded the collection with manuscripts and playbills relating to Irish theatre.
The Irish book collection is available for research in suite 314 of the John T. Richardson Library during our open hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. For questions or more information on these recent donations or any of our other book collections, please contact Nora Gabor. To use these materials in an instruction session please contact Morgen Macintosh Hodgetts or submit a request for instruction.
To learn more about DePaul Special Collections and Archives, visit us in room 314 of the John T. Richardson Library or contact us at archives@depaul.edu.