Eoin McKiernan

Eoin McKiernan, M.A., Ph.D., D.Litt. (May 10, 1915 – July 18, 2004), was one of the major early scholars in the interdisciplinary field of Irish Studies in the United States and the founder of the Irish American Cultural Institute. He is credited with leading efforts to revive and preserve Irish culture and language in the United States. A biography, Irish America Reawakening: The Eoin McKiernan Story, describes his life's work in full.

Born John Thomas McKiernan in New York City, Dr. McKiernan adopted the old Irish form of his name, Eoin, early in his life. While in college, he won a scholarship to study Irish language in the Connemara Gaeltacht in the west of Ireland, galvanizing his commitment to the language, a cause he championed throughout life. In 1938, he married Jeannette O’Callaghan, whom he met while studying Irish at the Gaelic Society in New York City. They raised nine children. In Jeannette’s death (December 22, 1996) he lost his greatest patron.

Dr. McKiernan attended seminary at Cathedral College and St. Joseph’s in New York, leaving before ordination. He earned degrees in English and Classical Languages (AB, St Joseph College, NY, 1948), Education and Psychology (EdM, UNH, 1951), and American Literature and Psychology (PhD, Penn State, 1957). Later in life, McKiernan was awarded honorary doctorates from the National University of Ireland, Dublin [1969]; the College of St. Rose, Albany [1984]; Marist College, Poughkeepsie [1987]; and the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul [1996].

Passion for Irish culture was the dominant undercurrent of a distinguished teaching career in secondary (Pittsfield, NH, 1947-49) and university levels (State University of New York at Geneseo, 1949-59, and University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, 1959-72). McKiernan served as an officer of the National Council of College Teachers of English, was appointed by the Governor of NY to a State Advisory Committee to improve teacher certification standards, and served as a Consultant to the US Department of Education in the early 1960s.

Dr. McKiernan suggested to the Irish government in 1938 that a cultural presence in the United States would promote a deeper understanding between the two countries, but he eventually realized that if this were to happen, he would have to lead the way. His opportunity came in 1962, when he was asked to present a series on public television. Entitled "Ireland Rediscovered," the series was so popular that another, longer series, "Irish Diary," was commissioned. Both series aired nationwide. The enthusiastic response provided the impetus to establish the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI, 1962). In 1972 he resigned from teaching to devote his energy entirely to the IACI.

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