Dr. Eoin McKiernan
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"U.S. Champion of Irish culture and history … a patriarch of Irish Studies in the U.S. who laid the ground for the explosion of interest in Irish arts in recent years.”
— The Irish Times, July 20, 2004
The late Dr. Eoin McKiernan, founder of the Irish American Cultural Institute, began our family’s tradition of leading tours to Ireland 44 years ago. Born John Thomas McKiernan in New York City, he adopted the old Irish form of his name, “Eóin,” early in his life.
While in college, Eoin won a scholarship to study Irish language in the Connemara Gaeltacht, in the west of Ireland. So began his lifelong love for the Irish language and culture.
He brought this passion to his distinguished teaching career, which included the State University of New York at Geneseo (1949-1959), and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn, (1959-1972).
Eoin McKiernan also served as an officer of the National Council of College Teachers of English, was appointed by the governor of New York to a State Advisory Committee to improve teacher certification standards, and served as a Consultant to the U.S. Department of Education in the early 1960s.
In 1962, he presented a public television series titled "Ireland Rediscovered." It proved so popular that a longer series, "Irish Diary," was commissioned. The enthusiastic response encouraged Eoin to establish the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI) in 1962.
He wed Jeannette O’Callaghan in 1938, whom he met while studying Irish at the Gaelic Society in New York City. They raised nine children. When Jeannette’s died in 1996, he lost his greatest patron.
Surrounded by his family, Dr. Eoin McKiernan died on July 18, 2004, in St. Paul, Minnesota. On his death, the Irish Times (July 20, 2004), referred to him as the "U.S. Champion of Irish culture and history … a patriarch of Irish Studies in the U.S. who laid the ground for the explosion of interest in Irish arts in recent years.”
Experience a part of Dr. Eoin McKiernan’s legacy: Join our May, 2010 trip!