These papers document the publishing and teaching career of Irish poet and literary critic Seán Lucy. The collection includes articles, correspondence, ephemera, lecture notes, manuscripts, and photographs.

Lucy's works include scholarly articles and books on Irish poetry, poetic technique, and Irish culture. Of particular note are the typescripts of Lucy's unpublished novel, Some Say Love, as well as an unpublished study of Irish verse in English, The Grafted Tongue. Manuscript materials include notes on poetry and prose, some of which may be first drafts. The papers also contain lecture notes for courses he taught on Irish and English poetry, primarily at University College, Cork.

In addition to his own works, Lucy collected writings of other authors, frequently manuscripts sent to him by peers for his review. Among the latter are a significant body of poems, conference papers, and scholarly works by David Gardiner.