Boston College Oral History Project

The Boston College Oral History Project is an archive housed in the Burns Library of Boston College in the United States, containing transcripts of interviews with members of the Irish Republican Army and the Ulster Volunteer Force.

Initially known as the "Belfast Project", the archive was first suggested by Lord Paul Bew, a former Visiting Scholar at Boston College, in the wake of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Interviews took place between 2001 and approximately 2006.

Robert K. O'Neill and Thomas E. Hachey received subpoenas commanding production on 26 May 2011 of:

1. The original tape recordings of any and all interviews of Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price.

2. Any and all written documents, including but not limited to any and all transcripts, relating to any and all tape recordings of any and all interviews of Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price.

3. Any and all written notes created in connection with any and all interviews of Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price.

Boston College produced the material related to Brendan Hughes on 26 May 2011. The deadline for the other material was extended by agreement with the United States Attorney's office to 2 June 2011.

People

• Thomas E. Hachey
• Robert K. O'Neill
• Ed Moloney - Project Co-ordinator
• Anthony McIntyre
• Wilson McArthur

Republicans

• Brendan Hughes
• Dolours Price
• Richard O'Rawe

Loyalists

• David Ervine
• William "Plum" Smith
• Winston Rea

External Resources

Books

• Ed Moloney, Voices From The Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland, Faber and Faber, 2010

Articles

• Boston College Subpoena News
• Federal Prosecutors Subpoena Irish Oral Histories Housed at Boston College, Chronicle of Higher Education, 13 May 2011.
• Jim Dwyer, Secret Archive of Ulster Troubles Faces Subpoena, New York Times, 13 May 2011.
• Pete Baker, Boston College NI archive materials subpoenaed, Slugger O'Toole, 13 May 2011.
• Lisa Wangsness and Tracy Jan, BC faces dilemma over Irish archive, Boston Globe, 14 May 2011.
• Ben Wieder, Boston College Fights Subpoena for Confidential Interviews on Irish Violence, Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 June 2011.
• Kevin Cullen, US college requests quashing of oral history subpoenas, 11 June 2011.
• Danny Morrison, Foot In The Mouth, DannyMorrison.com. 16 June 2011.
• Anthony McIntyre, Bangers Babble, The Pensive Quill, 19 June 2011.
• Chris Page, Boston College fights legal bid over IRA interviews, BBC News, 21 June 2011.
• Chris Bray, Misfeasance, History News Network, 20 June 2011.
• Scott Jaschik, Oral history, unprotected, Inside Higher Ed, 5 July 2011.</ref>
• Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre, Fishing in BC’s archives, Boston Globe, 23 August 2011.
• Niall O'Dowd, Boston College played major role in witch hunt against Gerry Adams - Hired anti-Adams researchers to lead oral history project, IrishCentral.com, 23 August 2011.
• Anthony McIntyre, Right of Reply: Gerry Adams was never target of Boston College Oral History project, IrishCentral.com, 31 August 2011.
• Kevin Cullen,Two involved in BC project on Troubles wade into legal fight, Boston Globe, 2 September 2011.
• John Carroll, Who Is @BCSubpoenaNews?, Campaign Outsider, 4 September 2011.
• Ed Moloney, Boston College Subpoenas – New Links, The Broken Elbow, 5 September 2011.
• Ted Folkman, Developments in the Boston College Belfast Project Case [UPDATED], Letters Blogatory, 6 September 2011.
• Danny Morrison, The Making of a Tout, DannyMorrison.com, 6 September 2011.
• Anthony McIntrye, Dear Danny, The Pensive Quill, 7 September 2011.

Legal Documents

• Motion of Trustees of Boston College to Quash Subpoenas, United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, Filed 7 June 2011, archived at Chronicle.com.
• Affidavit of Clifford M. Kuhn , United States District Court, District of Massachussetts, Filed 7 June 2011, archived at Chronicle.com.