March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, originally dedicated to the Christian saint, has become a celebration of Irish culture in general, and the BU LIbraries Special Collections has a special connection to the day. The Irish playright, Padraic Colum (1881-1972), drew heavily upon Irish history and legend ito create his works, which included numerous plays, poetry and children’s stories. In 1965, the University Libaries acquired his papers, and also those of Mary Colum, his wife, author and literary critic in her own right. The collection includes manuscripts of his works and, most interestingly, numerous notebooks in which he sketched out his ideas. There is also a voluminous correspondence, which includes exchanges with many other leading literary figures of the 20th century. The collection can be accessed through the finding aid, created by former Binghamton English professor, Zack Bowen.
Irish Connections
