Unsigned music manuscripts (one notebook and loose pages) written primarily in accordion tablature by Jerry O’Brien, with some contributions by Joe Derrane, including both Irish and non-Irish melodies.

Collection is open for research.

Collection of audio recordings of the 1992 Boston College Celtic Harp Festival, co-sponsored by the Boston College Music Department and Irish Studies Program. Recordings consist of a keynote lecture, panel discussion, and concert performances. Also included is Derek Bell's original manuscript and annotated sheet music for an Irish harp suite performed at the festival, as well as promotional ephemera.

Collection is open for research. The audio cassettes 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.

Recordings of events organized by the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop, and Lecture Series at Boston College, founded in 2003 by Séamus Connolly. The Series brings together accomplished performers and experts in Irish, Scottish, American, and related folk music traditions to share their experience, knowledge, and talent with the Boston College community and beyond.

Collection is open for research.

Recordings have been digitally copied; all original media was retained, but may not be played due to format. Use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Collection is open for research.

Recordings have been digitally copied; all original media was retained, but may not be played due to format. Use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

This collection consists primarily of field recordings of Cape Breton and Irish traditional music performed by various musicians in the Boston area, as recorded on home recording equipment by Johnny and Mary Muise. Included are informal music gatherings and social events that took place in the Muise home in Dorchester (1951-1965) and Roslindale (1965 and later), as well as concerts and other gatherings. Some of the audio recordings also contain published material.

Collection is open for research. Open reel tapes and audiocassettes are restricted (boxes 2-6). All open reel tapes have been reformatted, and digital versions are available for use in the Burns Library Reading Room. All audiocassettes have not yet been reformatted, but can be upon request. Note that there may be a delay in availability of digitized versions.

This collection documents Irish music owned by twentieth-century Irish-American musician Eugene Clancy, including audio recordings of Clancy and collected recordings of Michael Coleman.

Collection is open for research.

Recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) is an international organization for the promotion of Irish music, song, dance, and language. These records document the history and activities of the CCÉ Province in North America, with related material from CCÉ in Ireland. The collection includes administrative records, promotional artifacts, and biographical materials, as well as recordings of performances, interviews, and other events.

This collection documents the musical activities and career of Irish traditional fiddle player Séamus Connolly. The collection includes field recordings, correspondence, press clippings, publications, photographs, awards, and artifacts. It also includes research notes and materials collected by Connolly on Irish traditional music.

Collection is open for research. Digitized versions of original recordings are available for Burns Library Reading Room use. Some audio and video items may not be immediately available due to formatting issues.

Collection is open for research.

A button accordion, an event program, photographs, a set list, and phonograph records belonging to Boston-area Irish musician Joe Derrane.

Collection is open for research. The accordion may be viewed by researchers, but may not be played.

This collection contains two Portable Irish Harps by nineteenth century Irish harp maker John Egan.

Collection is open for research. Off-shelf viewing is by appointment, supervised by a staff member to ensure safe handling. The harps are too fragile to be strung at full tension, and therefore are not playable.

Personal and collected materials of mid-twentieth-century Boston-area Irish musician Gene Frain. Personal materials include photographs and biographical information about Gene Frain, as well as correspondence and flutes belonging to his father, Owen Frain. Collected materials document uilleann pipe creation, playing, and community of musicians, as well as the Boston-area Irish music scene more generally.

Collection is open for research.

Handwritten sheet music for accordion created by accordionist Billy Caples for one of his students, Paul C. Haley. Most tunes include titles, and some contain additional performance notes.

Collection is open for research.

This collection contains photographs, articles, recordings, a fife, printed music, correspondence, and other items pertaining to brothers William F. and Michael C. Hanafin, their family members, and musical associates. The Hanafin brothers were Irish traditional musicians who immigrated to Boston in the late 19th century.

Collection is open for research.

Audio recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

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.

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.

Collection documents traditional Cape Breton and Irish music in the 1960s through the 1990s with live recordings of social gatherings, concerts, and radio shows performed in Massachusetts, Canada, and Ireland by various musicians, including Sally and Jimmy Kelly.

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.

Collection of early twentieth century verse broadsides supporting the Irish republican cause, as well as related contemporary newspaper clippings and an invitation to the 1999 National Day of Commemoration ceremony.

Collection is open for research.

Collection is open for research.

Recordings have been digitally copied; all original media was retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.

Collection is open for research. Some audio materials may not be available immediately for use as they will require reformatting; please contact the Burns Library in advance for access to audio materials. McCormack's sheet music cabinet is not available for access at this time due to structural instability.

Materials of Boston-area Irish musicians Daniel A. and Dan Sullivan, collected by musicologist Daniel T. Neely, including family photographs, piano rolls, sketches, and a violin.

Collection is open for research.

This collection documents Irish singer and harpist Mary O'Hara's musical career and early retirement years in Tanzania with her husband Padraig O'Toole through their correspondence with friend and neighbor in England, Jean Heitz. Heitz also collected and kept clippings, ticket stubs, publicity materials, fan club mailings, and photographs relating to O'Hara.

Collection is open for research.

Collection is open for research.

Audiovisual recordings and born-digital content have been digitally copied from source media; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room. O'Hara's scrapbooks are closed due to fragility. Personal correspondence with Adrian Hastings and Deirdre Kelleher is restricted until 2025.

This collection documents highlights in the public career of saxophonist and whistle player Myles O'Malley, who was known as the "Tin Whistle King." The collection consists primarily of photographs. It also includes audio recordings, correspondence, fliers, graphic materials, musical instruments, music manuscripts, news clippings, and royalty statements from Decca Records.

Collection is open for research. 78-rpm recordings and unpublished sound cassettes are restricted for playback purposes; request digital use copies instead.