The Tom and Sarah Mulcahy Family Endowed Collection in Irish Studies was established in 1996. Tom (’57), who passed away in 2013, was a senior vice president at Robert W. Baird & Company at the time of his retirement. At Notre Dame, he served as president and board member of the Notre Dame Club of Milwaukee, and also an Alumni Board member. He was given the Milwaukee Club’s inaugural Lifetime Merit Award for his years of outstanding service and contributions. Sarah is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College, where she has been active in its Madeleva Society. The couple has four children: Kelly, Terry (’82), Tom, and William.

Through the support of the Mulcahy Endowment, the Hesburgh Libraries have made acquisitions of newspaper microfilm sets and some rare travel accounts of Ireland. One example is the 1824 illustrated book, A picturesque tour through Ireland by Dennis Sullivan, which is held in only 15 libraries. Newer materials added include rare prints in the valuable Cuala Press collection, and digital copies of Catholic Youth Literature in the Irish Fiction Collection. This fund has made it possible to acquire important resources, such as those supplementing English and Irish approval plans; those in Irish history, literature, language, politics, and culture; extensive resources in video and film; works by important publishers such as the Dolmen Press and 18th-century drama; and significant rare works, such as an early edition of The Celtic Twilight by W.B. Yeats.