Australia: Newman College and St. Mary's College
The Allan and Maria Myers Academic Centre was created as a joint facility for the students of Newman College and St Mary's College, both residential colleges of the University of Melbourne. The Academic Centre brings together the libraries of both colleges, and it is fortunate to have in its keeping a collection of Irish books, pamphlets and manuscripts housed in the Gerry Higgins Irish Room.
The Newman College Irish collection was formed in 1924 with a bequest to the College from the family of Dr. Nicholas Michael O'Donnell. This donation, the personal library of Dr. O'Donnell, comprised approximately 700 books and 300 pamphlets, many in the Irish language. Nicholas O'Donnell was born in 1862 at Bullengarook near Gisborne Victoria of Irish parents. He never visited Ireland but was an Irish language speaker and reader, a collector and diligent reader in all areas of Irish history and culture, and was described in his lifetime as ‘the heart and soul of everything pro Celtic’.
The O'Donnell collection includes two 19th century manuscripts: the Tain Bo Cuailgne, written by Joseph O'Longan in 1862, and a collection of tales By Joseph and his brother Peadar.
Since 1924 the Irish collection has been augmented by the addition of several libraries of deceased priests and other acquisitions and donations relating to Ireland. The Academic Centre would like to acknowledge recent donations and support from enthusiastic members of the Irish studies community in Melbourne.
The Irish collection and other collections are available to researchers for consultation in the Academic Centre. More information including the library catalogue can be found at:
Our two manuscripts have been photographed by Ms Lee McRae of Digital Media Services, University of Melbourne for display on ISOS. The Academic Centre is delighted to be part of an Australian/Irish collaboration with the ISOS project.
