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Rare Books

Rare Book Division
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-258-3184
Curator of Rare Books
609-258-9942

Begun in October 2002, this collection is the second of Leonard Milberg's Irish endeavors. Given the success of the Irish poetry collection, it made sense to move on to the next area of literary endeavor distinctive of Irish culture, namely, its theatre. The official name of the collection is the Leonard L. Milberg Irish Theater Collection, given in honor of Paul Muldoon. Moreover, notable authors in the Milberg Irish poetry collection --- Austin Clark, Padraic Colum, Brian Friel, Louis MacNeice, and Tom Paulin - are also playwrights, thus providing a natural linkage between the two collections. In addition, Princeton already had strong collections of such important figures of the Irish literature as G.B. Shaw and W.B.Yeats. Between October 2002 and May 2005, more than 1350 items have been gathered for the collection, now covering more than 70 authors.

For more details, consult the website for the October 2006 events associated with the official receipt of the collection.

See also the printed catalogue for the collection, compiled by J. Howard Woolmer. The Leonard L. Milberg Irish Theater Collection (Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Library, 2006) [(F) Z2039.D7 P75 2006 and (Ex) 2006-3037N].

See also the special issue of the Princeton University Library Chronicle issued on the occasion of the October 2006 events: Vol 69, 1-2, Winter 2007 [full text]

The collection is regularly growing and catalogue entries for individual items in it can be retrieved in the main catalog by searching "Milberg Irish Theater Collection" as a phrase using the Keyword index. 

The 103 playwrights and related agencies collected as of February 2009:

 

Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Sebastian Barry (1955- )
Samuel Beckett (1906-1989)
Brendan Behan (1923-1964
George A. Birmingham (1865-1950)
Dermot Bolger (1959- )
Dion Boucicault (1820-1890)
William Boyle (1853-1922)
Marina Carr (1964- )
Paul Vincent Carroll (1900-1968)
Charabanc Theatre, Belfast, touring theatre company (1983-1995)
Austin Clarke (1896-1974) Included in Irish Poetry Collection
Padraic Colum (1881-1972) Included in Irish Poetry Collection
Daniel Corkery (1878-1964)
James Cousins (1873-1956)
Cyril Cusack (1910-1993)
Louis Lynch D'Alton (1900-1951)
Teresa Deevy (1903-1963)
Anne Devlin (19? - )
Neil Donnelly
Roddy Doyle (1958- )
Druid Theatre, Galway (1975- )
Edward Lord Dunsany (1878-1957)
St. John Ervine (1883-1971)
Bernard Farrell (1941- )
Conor Farrington (1928- )
Field Day, Derry, theatrical company (1980- ) Founded by Brian Friel
Fishamble Pigsback Theatre Company, Dublin
George Fitzmaurice (1877-1963)
Brian Friel (1929- ) [Good collection already in Milberg Irish Poets Collection]
Gaiety Theatre, Dublin (1871) (Theatre only, not a theatrical company)
Patrick Galvin (1927- )
Gate Theatre, Dublin (1928- )
Oliver St. John Gogarty (1878-1957)
Lady Gregory (1852-1932)
Group Theatre, Belfast

Wilson John Haire (1932- )
Ron Hutchinson
Intimate Shakespeare Company (Anew MacMaster) (1925)
Irish Theatre magazine (1998/1999+)
Marie Jones
Denis Johnston (1901-1984)

James Joyce (1882-1941) Exiles only play.  Princeton copy lacks dust jacket.
John B. Keane (1928- )
Thomas Kilroy (1934- )
Hugh Leonard (1926- )
Christine Pakenham, Lady Longford (1900-1980)
Lord Longford (Edward Arthur Henry Pakenham) (1902-1961)

Martin Lynch (1950- )
Lyric Theatre, Belfast (1951)

Eugene McCabe (1930- )
Owen McCafferty (1961- )
Donagh MacDonagh (1912-1968)
John Mac Donagh (? -1961)
Martin McDonagh (1971- )
Frank McGuinness (1953- )
Tom MacIntyre (1931- )
Michal MacLiammoir (1899-1987) Founder of the Dublin Gate Theatre
Anew MacMaster SEE Intimate Shakespeare Company
Brinsley MacNamara (1890-1963)
Gerald MacNamara (1866-1938)
Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) [Included in Milberg Irish Poets Collection]
Conor McPherson (1971- )
Heno Magee (1939- )
Edward Martyn (1859-1923)
Rutherford Mayne (Samuel Waddell) (1978-1967)
Paul Mercier (1958- )
Gary Mitchell
Michael Molloy (1917-1994)

Conal Morrison
Tom Murphy (1935- )
T.C. Murray (1873-1959)

Mairead Ni Ghrada (1899-1971)
Jim Nolan


Eugene O'Brien
Flann O'Brien (1911-1966)
Sean O'Casey (1880-1964)
Hubert O'Grady
Seamus O'Kelly (?1875-1918)
Mark O'Rowe
Eoghan O'Tuairisc (1919-1982)

Stewart Parker (1941-1988)
Passion Machine
Tom Paulin (1949- ) [Included in Milberg Irish Poets Collection]
Peacock Theatre. Experimental annex to the Abbey Theatre
Pigsback Theatre Company SEE  Fishamble Pigsback Theatre Company, Dublin

Pike Theatre, Dublin (1953-1960)

The Queen's Royal Theatre, Dublin (1829-1969?)
Red Kettle of Waterford

Christina Reid (1942- )
Graham Reid (1945- )
Lennox Robinson (1886-1958)
Billy Roche (1949- )

Jim Sheridan (1949- )
Peter Sheridan (1952- )
George Shiels (1886-1949)
J.M. Synge (1871-1909)
Sam Thompson (1916-1965)
Joseph Tomelty (1911-1995)
Samuel Waddell (Rutherford Mayne) (1878-1967)
Enda Walsh
Eugene Watters SEE  Eoghan O'Tuairisc (1919-1982)

Vincent Woods (1960- )
Jack B. Yeats (1871-1957)