Ward Irish Music Archives

Ward Irish Music Archives The Ward Irish Music Archives (WIMA) collects, promotes, preserves, and disseminates Irish and Irish-American musics in all their forms.

WIMA makes these cultural resources available to researchers, artists, and the general public... Established in 1992, the Ward Irish Music Archives houses the largest public collection of Irish music in America. It is named after John J. Ward Jr., father of Irish Fest founder Ed Ward. The archive currently consists of more than 40,000 Irish music recordings and pieces of memorabilia ranging from r

are 78 rpm's, LP's and sheet music to song books, instruments, and concert memorabilia. Many of the archives items are extremely difficult to find today, and our diverse collections focus on subjects such as Irish traditional music, Irish folk songs, Scottish music, and Irish contributions to American popular music. website: http://irishfest.com/Music-Archives.htm
The Dunn Family Collection: http://archives.irishfest.com
Irish Sheet Music Archives: http://irishsheetmusicarchives.com

08/16/2026

Such an amazing presentation by Amy McFarland about her oral history project of women concertina players called The Bridge. Many thanks to Amy and Brenda Castles for their time, knowledge and music!

Amy McFarland presenting The Bridge, an oral history project about women concertina players in the 1970 and 1980s. She’l...
08/16/2026

Amy McFarland presenting The Bridge, an oral history project about women concertina players in the 1970 and 1980s. She’ll be joined by Brenda Castles on concertina in a bit! Right now at Milwaukee Irish Fest at the Archives Gallery, 11:30am on Sunday of the festival.

08/15/2026

Some lovely tunes from Nicolas Brown and Amy McFarland at Milwaukee Irish Fest 2026!

07/31/2026

I found an interesting article in the Sligo Champion from August of 1932 about Paddy Killoran and his band, so decided to hop on here to do a quick update. Things are ramping up in Milwaukee for Milwaukee Irish Fest and MKE Irish Fest Summer School but we hope to keep up with some posts over the next couple weeks.

07/28/2026

One of Ireland’s early B/C accordion pioneers.

Listen to Michael Grogan’s beautiful setting of “Miss Monaghan’s Reel,” recorded in Dublin in 1938 for the Regal Zonophone label.

Hailing from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Grogan was one of the few B/C accordion players recording at the time. According to his son Tommy, Michael spent time in Scotland, met renowned accordion player Peter Wyper, and later returned to Dublin to perform on Irish radio with fiddler Frank O’Higgins.

Listen to the full recording of The Pigeon on the Gate/Miss Monaghan’s through the link in our bio.

🎶 From the Ted McGraw Collection (McGraw 78 03-164)

07/17/2026

Welcome to the Ward Irish Music Archives, North America’s premier collection documenting Irish and Irish American musics in all their forms.

Established in 1992 by Milwaukee Irish Fest founder, Ed Ward, WIMA makes these cultural resources available to researchers, artists, and the general public now and into the future for the purposes of teaching, scholarship, and practice.

From rare 78 RPM recordings and vintage sheet music to instruments and field recordings, we are preserving the soundtrack of Irish heritage for generations to come.

Major holdings include collections from the Dunn Family,Ted McGraw, Mick Moloney and Tommy Makem–serving as a living library for teaching, scholarship, and performance.

Discover the history, hear the stories, and explore our collections today.

Visit us online at wardirishmusicarchives.com to learn more, or to plan your visit.

Audio is from Banish Misfortune recorded by Edward Cronin, c.1904, from the Francis O’Neill Cylinders in the Dunn Family Collection.

06/18/2026

Get ready to tap your toes!

Listen to this clip of the Flanagan Brothers playing “Old Irish Barn Dance,” recorded for Columbia Records in 1928.

Natives of County Waterford who emigrated to the United States in 1910, Joe and Mike Flanagan became stars of New York’s Irish-American dance halls during the 1920s. Their virtuoso musicianship and energetic performances made them among the most influential Irish recording artists of their era.

The tune is better known today as “The Kerry Mill.”

This original 78rpm disc is preserved in the Ted McGraw Collection (McGraw 78 01-001).

☘️ Take a listen to the full disc through the link in our bio

WardIrishMusicArchives

05/14/2026

Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland dances… while playing his fiddle. 🎻

During a 1977 public television show with Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, Liam recalls how Michael Coleman could dance and fiddle at the same time—and challenges Holland to do the same.

Jerry rises to the occasion with a lively version of “The Devil’s Dream.”

🎥 Watch the full segment in Episode 109 on our website (link in bio).

Thanks to musicians Sam Shackleton and Dusty the Kid for stopping by the Archives for a tour ahead of their show tonight...
05/05/2026

Thanks to musicians Sam Shackleton and Dusty the Kid for stopping by the Archives for a tour ahead of their show tonight at 🪕 Here they are with Tommy Makem’s first banjo and Aran sweater.

Looking forward to their next time in Milwaukee!

04/23/2026

An Irish revolutionary—and a recorded fiddler.

Born Isaac Nolan in 1899, Seán Nolan was an Irish speaker, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, and served during the War of Independence and Civil War.

In the 1920s, his music brought him to the United States, where he recorded for Victor and HMV.

This 1927 disc (Victor 20764-A), from the Ted McGraw Collection, features two rarely recorded hornpipes—including “The Standing Abbey,” possibly its first recorded appearance.

Take a listen to the full disc of Thomond Bridge/Standing Abbey via the link in our bio.

Address

Wauwatosa, WI

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 4pm
Tuesday 11am - 4pm
Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+14144768999

Website

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