READING ROOM HOURS: 4:30-7:30 Monday, Tueday, Thursday
Closed Aug 14 - Sep 6
Also open by appointment.
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New Deals and Eight-Hand Reels:
Irish Music, Dance and Culture in the Depression-Era Twin Cities.
In this talk from Irish Arts Week 2023, Eoin McKiernan Library Director Brian Miller explores the Irish cultural landscape of the Twin Cities in the 1930s including fiddler Mike Sullivan, Irish social clubs, and Irish participation in the early Festival of Nations events. The ’30s were a fascinating decade here! Mike Sullivan led a dance “orchestra” in St. Paul, Anna K. Bryant of Minneapolis led the Hibernian ladies at the national level, a champion dancer from County Kerry (Michael Dillon) was Hennepin County Attorney, and the new Festival of Nations events in St. Paul gave Irish musicians and dancers the opportunity to show off their tunes and steps to broader Minnesota.
Common Searches:
Doherty Family Recordings
Fifty-two archival tracks of traditional music recorded in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1958! A blend of Irish-American and Scandinavian tunes that the Dohertys brought to St. Paul from Cedar Lake Township south of the Twin Cities.
See the resources available at the Eoin McKiernan Library and across the worldwide web on a selection of topics related to Ireland and the Irish arts. A great place to start for school history projects!
Ukrainian-American musician Peter Ostroushko loved Irish fiddle music and had a long-standing relationship with the Irish music community of the Twin Cities. Friend Dáithí Sproule did this oral history interview with Peter in January 2019.
Online Archives
Explore the history of Irish Arts in Minnesota through oral histories, music, photos, posters and more!
Library Collection
5000 books and 1200 commercial audio recordings.
Check out available!
