James Aloysius Geary joined the Catholic University of America in 1911, when he began a graduate program that culminated in him being awarded a PhD in 1931. He was admitted to our teaching staff in 1914, and became a permanent feature in 1916, when he was appointed Instructor of Celtic and Comparative Philology (the study of how languages change and evolve over time). He taught a variety of courses in language and philology until his retirement in 1953. Living when he did, and as a Catholic priest of Irish background and a European education, made Geary a passionate proponent on Irish Nationalism, as well as a capable activist on American soil for Irish concerns. A member of the Friends of Irish Freedom, Geary collected fantastic records such as pamphlets and newspaper clippings that relate the unfolding story of Irish nationalism.

In the following two pages we have included several items from the James Aloysius Geary Papers stored at ACUA: the first includes papers related to the Friends of Irish Freedom, and the second Irish nationalist publications and records generated at CUA.