The Salamanca Archive: A Story of Irish Exile & Return, 1592-1642

Visit the Russell Library, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and enjoy a guided exhibition tour led by the Special Collections team of Maynooth University Library. After the tour, be sure to stop by the all-ages activity table for a hands-on experience.


Home to the largest Spanish archive in Ireland, Maynooth preserves a chapter of Irish and European history. Curated by Dr Laura Francis, a researcher and translator, this exhibition explores the story of Irish migrants who left their homeland at the turn of the seventeenth century. Forced into exile by the completion of the Tudor conquest and the suppression of Catholic practice, they sought refuge in the Spanish Empire.


There, these individuals received the religious education denied to them at home, were ordained as priests, and entered service across a global network, from administrative roles in Madrid to missionary work as far afield as Mexico. Many, however, undertook the perilous return journey known as the Misión de Irlanda (“Irish Mission”), risking their lives to minister in a homeland where their faith and identity remained under threat.


This exhibition highlights a fragile heritage, shaped by cross-cultural interactions, and  visitors are invited to reflect on the enduring risks faced by both people and the papers that tell their stories.

- Please note the Russell Library is accessible by stairs and unfortunately there is no lift.

Directions to the Russell Library:
Enter St. Patrick’s College Maynooth via the President’s Arch doorway in St. Joseph's Square, turn left and go to the end of the cloister (past Pugin and Renehan). Ring the library doorbell at your appointed time.


Non-permit Parking:
There is a pay-and-display car park on the South Campus. It is located inside the College Gates (at Maynooth Castle) and to the left. Campus parking is free outside of term time – please check the dates of enforcement here: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/location/parking-traffic-management