American Irish Historical Society Tours
991 5th Ave, NY
We are delighted to offer guided tours of our historic mansion! Explore paintings and documents from the Society’s collections, step back into the Gilded Age, and investigate the legacy of the Irish in New York.
Come visit us at 991 5th Avenue! Discover some of the precious artifacts in our archives on this guided tour of our Beaux-Arts mansion.
The Society has over 10,000 volumes in its libraries, donated over the years by founders and members, including a copy of the earliest Bible published in the Irish language. We have a collection of portraits of a who’s who of 19th century Irish patriots, the death mask of Theobald Wolfe Tone, and precious documents relating to the 1916 Rising.
The Irish American Athletic Club donated many of their trophies and other artifacts to the Society, and letters from several Irish American presidents and politicians are on display too.
We feature exhibitions that change based on monthly or seasonal themes, and focus on highlighting the unique features of our collections.
History Of The Society
On January 20th, 1897, fifty men of Irish nationality or descent met in the old Revere House in Boston where they adopted a Constitution and By-Laws that brought into being the American Irish Historical Society. The primary goal of the Society was to raise awareness of the accomplishments of the Irish in America, because at the time many historians mistakenly believed that there were no Irish in America until the 1830s. Thus, the founders of the AIHS placed special emphasis on the role of Irish-Americans in the American Revolution. Thomas Hamilton Murray became the first Secretary-General and Thomas Bonaventure Lweler was the Librarian-Archivist. Original members included Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Theodore Roosevelt, William Bourke Cockran, Thomas Hamilton Murray, Justice John Goff, Judge Daniel F. Cohalan, John Devoy, historian Michael J. O’ Brien, Fr. Francis Duffy, George M. Cohan, Victor Herbert, and James McGurrin.
The Society moved its headquarters to New York City in the early 20th century, to offices in the old Manhattan Hotel at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue. In 1908, the society moved to the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. Finally, in 1921, the society moved into its first permanent home of its own – a four-story home and basement brick building at 132 East 16th street, which had been bequeathed to it by the late Dr. John T. Nagle, a board member. In these surroundings, the Society continued to grow its holdings and it was found necessary to build an addition to the building to house everything. By then, the Society had amassed large collections of books, pamphlets, and papers, and members and students used the reading room five days a week. Nineteen years after moving in, the society moved again, for the last time.
On April 14, 1940, it moved into its handsome new home at 991 Fifth Avenue on Millionaire Mile, now known as Museum Mile. The society continued to serve its membership by offering free and public events and by extending use of the library and archives to researchers, writers, and scholars.
Roman Architecture
500BC
Showing Nov 3 – Nov 17