Meet our Committee
Ahead of ARA Ireland’s very first virtual AGM we thought we’d use this blog to introduce everyone to the committee, in particular since we are not meeting in person, and unable to mingle. We’re a lovely bunch, honestly, and if you’d like to join us, there is currently a vacancy for a second training officer, working alongside the lovely Fionnuala Parfrey.
Janet Hancock: Chair
Originally from Donegal, Janet has worked at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast since 2004, where she is currently Deputy Head of Public Services. The majority of her career has focused on public engagement with archives, including development of educational resources and online applications, curating exhibitions and events programming. Janet was a member of the working group which developed the UK Archive Service Accreditation standard in 2013 and is an Assessor for the scheme in Northern Ireland. Janet is also a Clore Leadership Fellow and a Relational Dynamics Coach.
Karen de Lacey: Honorary Secretary
Karen is the Honorary Secretary for the ARAI and previously served on the committee as Training Officer. She qualified as an archivist at UCD in 2011 and have worked at a variety of public and private archives, including at the Royal Irish Academy and most recently, as County Archivist for Fingal County Council.
Niamh Scannell: Recording Secretary
Niamh holds an M.A. in Archives and Records Management and holds a CIPP/E certification for data protection. She currently runs the Information Governance and Compliance Department in the National College of Ireland. This role encompasses compliance with data protection law, the freedom of information and access to information on the environment. It also encompasses records management and archiving. Niamh had previously worked on a number of digitisation projects and provided reading room services in the public and private sector.
Killian Downing: Honorary Treasurer
Killian is an Archivist at Dublin City University Library, with experience in collections management, digital preservation, and digital cultural heritage. Killian previously worked in the National Archives, Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, and the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Working with Europeana, the EU's platform for digital cultural heritage, Killian is a Councillor for the Europeana Network Association and Chair of the New Professionals Task Force, which is working to better support young, new, and early career professionals in and around Europeana. Killian is also co-Chair of the Europeana Communicators Community.
Niamh Ní Charra: Communications and Campaigns Officer
Niamh is the project manager and project archivist for the Conradh na Gaeilge and Mary Robinson collections in the National University of Ireland, Galway. She previously worked in several other archives including the Military Archives on the Military Service (1917-1923) Pensions Collection. She is also the Irish language administrator for ICA’s Multilingual Archival Terminology database.
Niamh came to archives from the world of music, and is a multi-award winning fiddle player, concertina player, singer and composer. She continues to perform with her own band and recently released her 5th album. She is also a founding member of and volunteer archivist for FairPlé, an organisation set up in 2018, which aims to achieve gender balance in the production, performance, promotion, and development of Irish traditional and folk music. In turn, she is one of three FairPlé members of SAOI (Safe Arts of Ireland), an umbrella organisation representing the wider Arts community, and is SAOI’s resident archivist.
Fionnuala Parfrey: Training Officer
Fionnuala has worked on projects in various archives over the years, including the the Irish Film Archive, the National Archives, and the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Most recently, she has worked with RTÉ Archives, publishing digitised audiovisual material from the 1980s and 1990s news collections.
We are currently seeking a second officer to join Fionnuala in this role. The training officer is responsible for identifying training priorities and organising training events for ARA members in Ireland.
Joanne Carroll: E-newsletter Editor
Joanne is the newsletter editor for the ARA, Ireland Committee, which is published every quarter. Joanne is an Assistant Keeper Grade II in the National Library of Ireland since 2016 and has previously worked in the IFI Irish Film Archive, Trinity College Dublin Library and the private sector. If you have any questions or want to submit an article for the newsletter you can contact Joanne at jcarroll@nli.e”
Lisa Murphy: Section for New Professionals
Lisa is the Irish Representative for New Professionals and is responsible for ensuring good communication between ARA Ireland and the Section for New Professionals. She organises new professionals’ events in Ireland and advocates on behalf of Irish new professionals. She graduated from the MA in Archives and Records Management in 2018 and is currently working as an archivist for the Presentation Sisters, North East Province. In this role she is responsible for processing collections, digitisation of archival material, organising training events and the administration of the archive department. She has previously worked at the National Library of Ireland, the Military Archives, and the Office of Public Works.
Lorraine Bourke: Diversity and Inclusion Ally (Ireland)
Lorraine is one of two ARA Diversity and Inclusion Allies on the ARA Ireland Committee. She is Head of Private Records at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Together with her team, she is responsible for accessioning and cataloguing records from a range of private sources including businesses, charities, churches, clubs and societies, families and individuals. Each year, she facilitates and supports student interns from third level institutions for whom obtaining experience in an archival institution is a course requirement. She also provides advice to individuals and organisations who hold archival material.
Alicia Conley: Diversity and Inclusion Ally (Ireland)
Alicia is one of two Diversity and Inclusion Allies on the ARA Ireland Committee. She is the Archivist in Belvedere College, a secondary school in Dublin.