May Mullins collection of Irish music and ephemera

Collection

Identifier: IM-M083-1999

Scope and Contents

Consists of audio recordings of live Irish music, radio shows, and interviews with Irish musicians including Joe Burke, P.J. Kelly, and Tommy Shields. Collection also contains Irish-related ephemera including an Easter Rising commemorative coin (1966), an Irish banknote (1939), an Irish immigration themed U.S. postal stamp (1999), prayer cards (1916-1917), and sheet music.

Dates

Creation: 1916-1999

Creator

Mullins, May (Mary Margaret), 1926-2012 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials in English and Irish.

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

The audio recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; if possible, reformatting will be scheduled.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note: May Mullins

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Mary "May" Margaret Mullins, born on March 24, 1926, to Irish parents John Sylvan and Mary Theresa (Hammill) Mullins, was a lifelong resident of Dedham, Massachusetts. She attended the Ames School and was a student of the last class of the original Dexter Elementary School in Dedham. Mullins graduated from Dedham High School in 1943 and from Northeastern University in 1949. She was a Norfolk County Superior Court switchboard operator, a founding member of the Boston-area Irish Cultural Centre, and frequented Boston's Irish dance hall scene, including Hibernian Hall. She was also a member of the Dedham Historical Society and of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, an organization dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance, and language of Ireland. Mullins died on May 1, 2012.

Sources:

"Mary M. Mullins, at 86, lifelong Dedham resident." Boston Herald. May 4, 2012.

"Mary M. Mullins in the U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1." Ancestry, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1788/records/96828480?_phcmd=u(%27https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search

"Mary Mullins Obituary." The Boston Globe. May 1, 2012.

Full Extent

3 Linear Feet (4 containers)

Additional Description

Abstract

Collected by Irish music expert May Mullins, materials include audio recordings of interviews with Irish musicians, live Irish music, and radio shows, as well as Irish-related ephemera including an Easter Rising commemorative coin (1966), an Irish banknote (1939), an Irish immigration themed U.S. postal stamp (1999), prayer cards (1916-1917), and sheet music.

Arrangement

Alphabetical.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of May Mullins, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008.

Related Materials

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann North America collection of Irish music materials, IM-M104-2001, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Séamus Connolly papers, IM.M064.1999, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

T. Jeffrey Sullivan collection of Tommy Sullivan and Joe Derrane, IM.M176.2009, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Separated Materials

Published works associated with this collection have been transferred within the Burns Library and can be found in the Boston College Library catalog.