Brian McGinn Papers
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Dates
Creator
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Abstract
Brian McGinn was a scholar of the Irish Diaspora and author of articles on this topic. The bulk of the collection consists of McGinn's working papers that are comprised of photocopied sections of books, articles, pamphlets, monographs, handwritten notes, bibliographies, lecture notes, and government records concerning the Irish and their migration to various parts of the world. There are photocopies of colonial records and diaries written as far back as the 16th century, as well as articles and correspondence through 2004. The collection also includes correspondence with other scholars of the Irish and Irish Diaspora and various archivists and librarians concerning research material.
Historical/Biographical Note
Brian McGinn (1946-2005), was an Irish American scholar and writer who studied the Irish Diaspora in such diverse places as Latin America, the West Indies, early colonial America, Mexico, and Canada. McGinn was born in New York City to Irish immigrant parents from Monaghan and Sligo. His parents were active members of Irish American organizations such as the Ladies Auxiliary of the United Irish Counties Association and Gaelic Football Clubs. After his mother died in 1951, McGinn and his sister returned to Ireland where they were raised and educated. In 1964, after completing high school, McGinn returned to New York and worked for the News Bureau of LIFE Magazine while attending evening classes at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY).
McGinn was drafted by the U.S. Military in 1968 and served as an intelligence specialist at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. From 1969 to 1970 he served in Vietnam on assignment with the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion and was awarded the Join Services Commendation Medal. After being discharged, he completed his BA under the GI Bill and returned to Time-Life in 1972. He moved to Virginia with Time-Life Books in 1976, working as a staff writer and editor. He later became a freelance contributor to various publications, such as Irish Roots and Irish America magazine. In 1979 he married Mary Moran, of Co. Mayo. The couple had a son, Michael.
Later in his career McGinn began to study the Irish in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. As a Vietnam veteran himself, this topic had personal meaning for him. He was also involved on a collaborative website about the Irish in Korea with Marilyn Knapp Litt (http://www.illyria.com/irishkor.html) as well as another site "Irish on the Wall" (http://www.illyria.com/vn_irish_names.html) referring to the Vietnam Veterals Memorial in Washington D.C.
McGinn earned an MA in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and published extensively on the history of the Irish in Latin America. In addition to the Irish Roots and Irish America magazine, he wrote for newspapers and magazines such as the Irish Times and the Irish Echo's IE. McGinn died on July 20, 2005.
Arrangement
Collection is divided into twelve series.
Series I: Personal Files and Published Work, 1976-2004
Series II: 18th Century Irish in New York, 1763-2000
Series III: 16th and 17th Century America: Early Irish in America, 1574-2003
Series IV: 18th and 19th Century Irish in the United States, 1912-2005
Series V: Newfoundland (Nova Scotia, Canada), 1888-2004
Series VI: Leeward Islands/Montserrat, 1642-2002
Series VII: West Indies, 1711-2002
Series VIII: Latin America, 1826-2004
Series IX: Europe, Asia, Africa, et. al., 1825-2002
Series X: United Irishmen, 1787-2000
Series XI: Korean War Veterans, 1948-2003
Series XII: Vietnam War Veterans, 1966-2005
Files are arranged alphabetically within each series.
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the collection consists of the working papers of Brian McGinn, a writer and scholar of the Irish Diaspora, whose particular interests were the Irish in Latin America, the West Indies, early colonial America and Canada, as well as those Irish who served with American forces during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The collection is divided into several series. Series I includes articles and other items authored by McGinn and some personal papers. Series II-X are organized geographically while Series XI and XII pertain to veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars, including documentation on granting of posthumous citizenship to several soldiers.
The files consist mainly of photocopies of articles and sometimes books, as well as bibliographic information used by McGinn in his research. Folder dates often correspond to the original date of photocopied items to give the research an idea of the source material McGinn used. Many photocopies are of original texts from the 17th and 18th centuries. Original correspondence, either letters or email, is included with some files are are photographs and maps of certain areas of study. Many folders in the Korean and Vietnam War Veterans series also include photographs of individuals and these folders are identified.
Subjects
Organizations
Topics
Places
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Brian McGinn, the creator of this collection, were transferred to New York University in 2006. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Brian McGinn Papers; AIA015; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Archives of Irish America received the collection in the Fall of 2005. The Archives had previously contacted Brian McGinn at the suggestion of historian Kerby Miller, and then negotiated directly with McGinn concerning the collection. The collection was packed by the McGinn family and shipped by McGinn's widow following his death.
The accession numbers associated with this collection are 1997.012 and 2012.057.
Appraisal
In 2021, one record carton was deaccessioned from the collection. The box contained commercially published books and scholarly journals.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This collection was processed and arranged by several archivists in 2010.
In the fall of 2021, an archivist processed, arranged, and described six record cartons containing additional materials. These accretions were incorporated into the existing collection and finding aid. During processing, duplicate materials and commercially published books were removed from the collection. Materials were rehoused in new acid-free folders and manuscript boxes. Original folder titles were retained when available. Additionally, a new series, Series IV: 18th and 19th Century Irish in the United States, was created to accomodate accretion materials whose subject matter was not reflected in the original arragement.
