Image courtesy National Museum of Ireland
Get Involved and share your story! 1916 Public Memorabilia Collection Day at the Irish Embassy, London
Join us on March 19 2016, where in partnership with the Embassy and the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) we will be hosting a public memorabilia ‘collection day’ in London to enable people in Britain to share their personal objects (such as letters, diaries, photographs and ephemera) as well as family stories related to 1916, and to have this material digitised by experts, free of charge.
So what happens at a public memorabilia collection day?
Well, first things first–you will need to submit details your items via the online form.
Click here to apply to contribute to the DRI.
Following this, we will give you a time slot in advance of the day to meet with an expert with whom you can share the story of your object. Our experts will be able to tell you more about your items in the context of 1916; and they will record your story and all the relevant information about your item. Your object will also be photographed by the team and these images along with the information and history you have given about your object will be included in the online digital archive.
What will happen to my important object?
Your objects and items will of course remain yours! The DRI is a digital collection and only contains images and information–all the objects stay with their owners. The digitised material is preserved and displayed within Inspiring Ireland 1916, a series of online exhibitions that form part of the multimedia, multiple award–winning website Inspiring Ireland.
The digitised material will then be preserved and displayed within Inspiring Ireland 1916, a series of online exhibitions that form part of the multimedia website Inspiring Ireland.
(www.inspiring-ireland.ie)
Created in partnership with Ireland’s national cultural institutions and public broadcaster, these new exhibitions use fascinating objects from public and private collections, together with expert interpretation, to tell the stories of people whose lives were changed by the events of Easter Week and paint a vivid picture of the events and legacy of 1916 that have inspired Ireland.
So search out those attics and open up those dusty suitcases and join us to be part of this historical collection! To participate in the London collection day, please complete the pre–appointment object registration form online here or contact Irish in Britain (Tel. 020 7697 4061) for registration forms. Appointments will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You will be contacted to schedule an appointment.
Why should I get involved?
Well, you will be contributing to the history of one of Ireland’s most important events! Inspiring Ireland is built on the preservation infrastructure of the Digital Repository of Ireland (www.dri.ie) which means that digital objects are preserved for long–term access and discovery, ensuring Ireland’s digital cultural heritage is available to people worldwide for posterity.
The collection day is part of the Irish Government’s 1916 Centenary Programme and is being organized in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland and Irish in Britain, the leading network for Irish community organisations and Irish individuals in Britain. The network and its Members are the foundation of Irish community life in Britain and their mission is to make a difference to the lives and experiences of Irish people across Britain.
To participate in the London collection day, please complete the pre–appointment object registration form online at http://tinyurl.com/h2qwtya or contact Irish in Britain (Tel. 020 7697 4061) for registration forms. Appointments will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. You will be contacted to schedule an appointment.
Click here to apply to be a Volunteer Oral History Interviewer
Click here to apply to contribute to the DRI
For further information, contact:
For Press Queries, contact Clare Brosnan, Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain, E: clare.brosnan@dfa.ie
Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain: https://dfa.ie/irish-embassy/great-britain/
Caroline McGee, Digital Repository of Ireland, E: c.mcgee@ria.ie
Digital Repository of Ireland: http://repository.dri.ie; & www.dri.ie
Fiona Smith, Irish in Britain, E: fsmith@irishinbritain.org
Irish in Britain: http://irishinbritain.org/