From the late 16th century, Irish colleges grew up on the continent in countries where trade links with Ireland were already well established and where there was support for Catholic reform. Young men, seeking an education for the professions or training for the priesthood, gravitated to university centres in Spain, France and the Low Countries where small colleges were established to provide their formation. Many of these closed in the turbulence of the late 18th century. The only ones to re-open in 1815, were those in Salamanca, Paris and Rome.

The archives of the Irish College in Salamanca came to Maynooth on the closure of the college in 1951. They comprise some 50,000 administrative documents dating from the foundation of the college in 1592 to the mid- 20th century. The collection also includes some papers from other Irish colleges in Spain: Lisbon (flourished 1590-1834), Valladolid (founded 1592), Santiago de Compostela (fl. 1605-1769), Seville (fl. 1612-1767), Madrid (founded 1629), Alcalá de Henares (fl. 1649-1785).

• Catalogues

Further information

• RICHARDSON, Regina Whelan: ‘The Salamanca Archives’ in Agnes Neligan (ed.), Maynooth library treasures (Dublin, 1995), pp. 112-147; Salamanca bibliography pp.144-7

Irish students at Salamanca

• HUARTE, Amalio: ‘Petitions of Irish students in the University of Salamanca, 1574-1591’ in Archivium Hibernicum, iv (1915), pp.96-130
• O’DOHERTY, Denis J.: ‘Students of the Irish College, Salamanca, 1597-1619’ in Archivium Hibernicum, ii (1913), pp. 1-36
• O’DOHERTY, Denis J.: ‘Students of the Irish College, Salamanca, 1619-1700 (lists of students and accompanying data taken from the “oaths”)’ in Archivium Hibernicum, iii (1914), pp. 87-112
• O’DOHERTY, Denis J.: ‘Students of the Irish College, Salamanca: lists of students taken from the oaths, 1715-78…from reports of examinations, 1617, 1626-1766…from the Diario, 1743-78…and from two separate lists, 1789 and 1796’ in Archivium Hibernicum, iv (1915), pp.1-58
• O’DOHERTY, Denis: ‘Students of the Irish College, Salamanca: lists of students, 1776- 1837 and 1855’ in Archivium Hibernicum, vi (1917), pp.1-26

Irish students at Alcalá de Henares

• ‘Students 1707-1785’ in Patricia O’Connell, The Irish College at Alcalá de Henares (Dublin, 1997), pp. 51-79

Irish students at Lisbon (Irish College of St Patrick)

• ‘Students [1590-1830s]’ in Patricia O’Connell, The Irish College at Lisbon, 1590-1834 (Dublin, 2001), pp. 55-99

Irish students at Santiago de Compostela

• ‘Students…’ in Patricia O’Connell, The Irish College at Santiago de Compostela, 1605-1769 (Dublin, 2006), pp. 73-128

Irish students at Seville

• SILKE, John: ‘The Irish College, Seville’ in Archivium Hibernicum, xxiv (1961), pp. 103-147; list pp. 121-47