News
Nov 2024
Ireland / Northern Ireland Record-keeping census announced.
For some time now it has been obvious to our committee and many in the wider profession that one of the major challenges in advocating for our profession, in particular in the area of funding and resources, was the difficulty of quantifying the extent of the problem.While we all know resources are thin on the ground and archive professionals and services are overstretched, without concrete statistics and a starting reference point, it is extremely difficult to campaign for more resources.When we brought the idea of an island-wide survey to ARA central, they embraced the idea, and have decided to begin conducting such surveys across all regions and jurisdictions, with ARA Ireland's survey being the pilot.
Following much collaborative work between myself and Chris Sheridan, with invaluable input from the ARA Committee, and support from ARA central, we are now ready to go live! This is the first time a survey of this nature has been carried out and it will give us invaluable insight into the ARM sector on this island. We want this shared everywhere and with everyone. This is for those who are individual members of ARA, those who are covered by their institution's membership, and those that aren’t members at all, or indeed of any ARM organisation. I would ask you all to fill it out. The more that do, the more accurate a picture we will get. The deadline is the 6th of December.
Please complete the census and share widely.
*
Funding Announcement
In November the Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, announced that almost €1m in funding is being made available in 2025 for the recruitment of new heritage professionals aimed at strengthening the protection of heritage assets across the country. It is anticipated that by the end of 2026 a full complement of local authority archivists, architectural conservation officers and archaeologists will be in place, ensuring comprehensive nationwide coverage of crucial heritage protection functions for the future. Our Chair, Niamh Ní Charra, issued the following response:
As Chair of ARA Ireland, I welcome the news from Minister Malcolm Noonan that archivists and other heritage professionals are to be recruited to fill vacancies across our local authorities, as part of a major expansion of the Heritage Council's programme, and I commend the Heritage Council's ongoing work in this area. It is vital that promises to ensure a full complement of local authority archivists are employed by December, 2026, and proper supports and resources in place for all local authority archivists are kept, to ensure at-risk archives and local heritage are protected and increased public services can be provided.
It has taken over 2 decades already for 2/3rds of local authorities to hire archivists, following legislation in 2001. Many of these have insufficient supports to carry out their work, many archive collections are housed in unsuitable locations and there is an alarming lack of recognition and acknowledgement for the importance of the archivist's vital work. We encourage all local authorities to embrace this expanded scheme, and the recognition given by Minister Noonan of the importance of our archival collections nationwide, and of hiring experts to protect and preserve this rich heritage.
*
Oct 2024
Video and transcript for the full double session, including her opening statement and Q&As are available here, and her opening statement can be read here.
Feb 2022
ARA Archive Volunteering Award for 2022
The 2022 award will be an opportunity to thank our volunteers for all their continued support and work over this very difficult time. We welcome projects which demonstrate how archives have supported volunteers through the past year and have adapted projects to suit their circumstances whether remotely or in new ways of working together…. but apart. Winners will have a national platform to celebrate their volunteers’ contribution to the service and gain publicity for their archive’s role in supporting individuals and community through volunteering programmes.
The 2021 Award Winners were Suffolk Archives: Pride in Suffolk’s Past and Warwickshire County Record Office: WOVeN (Warwickshire Online Volunteer Network) with Mining the Seams.
Suffolk – the panel liked how they took into consideration ethical issues when creating the project and that the volunteers were central to the project and took a proactive role in steering the project. It was good to see how they got around the limitations of collecting during the pandemic and still managed to harvest stories to be added to the archive.
Warwick - this project was well thought-through. The approach the team took was particularly innovative when it came down to the use of technology to support remote volunteering. The well-being aspect of the project particularly at a time that was challenging for many people who felt isolated was particularly well thought out and they have managed to create and sustain a community as one of the key legacies of the project.
The Archives and Records Association seeks to celebrate the role of volunteers in supporting archive services, and to collect good practice case studies to inform the wider sector. This award is a key strand of the work of ARA’s Volunteering in Archives, Action Plan, bringing to life the recommendations the ARA report Managing Volunteering in Archives. The award is also supported by The National Archives UK, the Welsh Government’s Museums, Arts, Archives and Libraries Division, and the Scottish Council on Archives.
This award is open to archives across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Awards will be publicised widely throughout and beyond the sector.
A short nomination form is available from the ARA website here: Volunteering in the Sector — Archives & Records Association and organisations may nominate projects, or ongoing volunteer programmes, that ran during 2021/2022.
Completed nomination forms need to be returned to volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk by 9th May 2022 and the winner will be announced during Volunteers week 1-7th June. If you have any queries about the award please contact Sally Bevan, Volunteering Awards Administrator, (020 7332 3815) or via volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk
***
May 2021
Archives and Social Justice: ARA, Ireland Seminar Series
ARA, Ireland is pleased to present a seminar series on Archives and Social Justice, organised in collaboration with the School of History, UCD. Addressing topics of record keeping structures, archival memory and archival activism, these three short online seminars will be hosted across the last three Thursdays in May, starting with a keynote lecture from Dr James Lowry on the subject of ‘Archival Sovereignty’. This seminar series seeks to explore how archives and archivists can support social justice goals and agendas in a changing information and records management landscape. Our aim, as always, is to create a space for a community of archivists and records managers to come together to critically examine our profession. We hope to establish thematic and discursive connections across all three online events and we look forward to engaging with you, our members.
First Seminar - Dr James Lowry lecture on Archival Sovereignty
Launching the series, we are delighted to welcome Dr James Lowry, assistant professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, Queens College, City University of New York, who will be leading a seminar on the subject of ‘Archival Sovereignty’. Drawing on relevant research into blockchain, displaced archives and repatriation, digital remains, Indigenous land and data sovereignty, open government data and civic technologies, privacy and data protection, refugee rights, community archives and state surveillance, this seminar will seek to move towards a definition of “archival sovereignty” that meaningfully characterises an ethical proposition that has portability across information problems and contexts.
This session will take place from 3:00-4:15pm on Thursday, 13th May and you can reserve your place here.
Second Seminar - Archives and Impact
Our second session will look at ways in which archives and archivists can support necessary confrontations with past injustices. Ashley Williams will be speaking on her research into the Universities Studying Slavery Consortium and Dr. Barry Houlihan (NUIG) will be addressing the question of archival memory and the records of survivors of institutional abuse in Ireland.
This session will take place from 3:00-4:30 on Thursday, 20th May and you can reserve your place here.
Third Seminar - Archives and Activism
The final seminar in this series will examine the documentation and preservation of important social and political movements in Irish history.We are delighted to host Dr. Maeve O’Brien from the Archiving the 8th Project and Niamh Ní Charra from the Conradh na Gaeilge Archive, NUIG who will be looking at two key collections that document the efforts of activists in transforming the cultural landscape of the country.
This session will take place from 3:00-4:30 on Thursday, 27th May and you can reserve your place here.
This seminar series is being co-hosted and co-organised with Dr Elizabeth Mullins, course coordinator for the MA in Archives and Records Management at UCD. We would like to extend our thanks to all of the speakers for their participation and engagement.
***
April 2021
Leagan Gaeilge oifigiúil curtha ar os cionn 200 téarma cartlannaíochta.
Tá tionscadal ar chuir Niamh Ní Charra, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh (OÉG), tús leis agus a bhí faoi stiúir Ní Charra agus Niamh McDonnell, Cartlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (NAI) i gcomhar leis an gCoiste Téarmaíochta tagtha chun críche an mhí seo faoi dheireadh agus leagan Gaeilge curtha ar bhreis agus 200 téarma cartlannaíochta. Cuireadh tús leis an tionscadal, ar thacaigh OÉG agus NAI leis agus ar chuir an Coiste fáilte roimhe, i mí Feabhra 2020 sular cuireadh moill air mar gheall ar an bpaindéim reatha.
Tuilleadh eolas ag teacht go luath!
Féach na téarmaí nua anseo.
Over 200 archival terms officially designated in the Irish Language.
A project instigated by Niamh Ní Charra, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), and led by Ní Charra and Niamh McDonnell, National Archives of Ireland (NAI), in liaison with An Coiste Téarmaíochta, has finally come to fruition this month with the introduction and recognition of over 200 archival terms into the Irish language. The project, supported by both NUIG and NAI and welcomed by An Coiste Téarmaíochta [the Irish language Terminology Committee], was initially begun in February of 2020 before being delayed due to the current pandemic.
More information coming soon!
See the new terms here.
***
March 2021
Skills Survey Results for ARA, Ireland
In October 2020, the Archives and Records Association, UK and Ireland, launched a skills survey, which was open to all ARA members and non-members across the UK and Ireland, to better understand the changing training needs of the sector and to inform future training programmes.
As a result of feedback from members, the ARA, Ireland committee requested the inclusion of survey sections 3 and 4, to gain feedback around the satisfaction of training and learning opportunities and how to better support members during COVID-19 and in normal times. These sections were agreed and included by the ARA Board for all regions and nations.
Since October 2020, ARA, Ireland's Skills Survey Task Force has been coordinating and collating the survey responses from ARA members and non-members across the island of Ireland.
Our final report can be viewed here.
January 2021
ARA Archive Volunteering Award for 2021
This 2021 award will go ahead as previous years and we hope it will be an opportunity to thank our volunteers for all their continued support and work over this very difficult time. This year in particular we welcome projects which demonstrate how archives have supported volunteers through the past year and have adapted projects to suit their circumstances whether remotely or in new ways of working together…. but apart. Winners will have a national platform to celebrate their volunteers’ contribution to the service and gain publicity for their archive’s role in supporting individuals and community through volunteering programmes. Note that the timescale for applications has changed and the deadline date for 2021 will be 7th May 2021. Awards will be announced during Volunteers week 1-7th June.
The Archives and Records Association seeks to celebrate the role of volunteers in supporting archive services, and to collect good practice case studies to inform the wider sector. This award is a key strand of the work of ARA’s Volunteering in Archives, Action Plan, bringing to life the recommendations the ARA report Managing Volunteering in Archives. The award is also supported by The National Archives, the Welsh Government’s Museums, Arts, Archives and Libraries Division, and the Scottish Council on Archives.
This award is open to archives across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Awards will be publicised widely throughout and beyond the sector. A short nomination form is available here and organisations may nominate projects, or ongoing volunteer programmes, that ran during 2020/2021.
Nominations will be assessed against three key outcomes:
A) Impact on volunteers
B) Impact on service
C) Wider impact
Completed nomination forms need to be returned to volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk by 7th May 2021
If you have any queries about the award please contact Sally Bevan, Volunteering Awards Administrator, (020 7332 3820) or via volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk
2020 Award Winner was West Yorkshire Archive Service Anne Lister Diary Digitisation and Transcription Project . For more information on last year's ARA award announcement see here.
***
Dublin City University Library launch AtoM Archive Management System
October 2020
ARA Ireland statement on the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020
The Archives and Records Association, Ireland (ARA, Ireland) is the principal professional body for archivists, conservators and records managers in Ireland. We wish to express our concern around the lack of consultation, consideration and inclusivity in passing the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill, 2020.
We welcome the government's subsequent acknowledgement of the hurt this has caused to victims and survivors of abuse, and its commitment to working with the Data Protection Commission and other legal experts in relation to accessibility. We also welcome further reference to management and preservation of the records of the Commission. However we feel this continues to fall short in terms of addressing concerns around access and information governance, archives and records management, data protection and digital preservation of the archive of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation and associated database.
ARA, Ireland, therefore calls for a fundamental review of this Bill and proposed new measures in relation to the National Archives Act, 1986, National Archives (Amendment) Act, 2018, Data Protection Act, 2018 and other associated legislation, in consultation with stakeholders including the National Archives and wider archival community in Ireland. We would urge further consideration on a wide range of unresolved issues, including concerns around the allocation of responsibility for managing the MBH Commission of Investigation database to the Child and Family State Agency TUSLA. TUSLA, established on the 1st January 2014, is not subject to the National Archives Act, 1986, and is among over 150 publicly-funded State bodies with no legal requirement to maintain and archive their records for release to the public under the 30 year rule. Although this MBH Commission of Investigation database is protected under the provisions of the National Archives Act, 1986, TUSLA will continue to have no legal protection for its own records, including those associated with this database, or have any legal requirement to transfer its records to the National Archives for their release to the public for consultation. Furthermore, the absence of any standardised approach to records management across the civil and public service demonstrates the need for a review of National Archives legislation, including expansion of the scope of the legislation and a statutory role for the National Archives in the oversight of record keeping across the civil and public service.
On this basis, we urge the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to engage in further dialogue with survivors of abuse and their representatives, as well as with the National Archives, Ireland; the National Archives Advisory Council; the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, who has statutory responsibility for the National Archives; and the Minister for Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, who has statutory responsibility for records management across the civil and public service.
This is a defining moment for the State in its treatment of survivors of abuse. It is vital that access, management and preservation of their testimony and the important records and work of the Commission are considered at greater length, so that those most directly impacted are supported, and society and future generations can attest to this period in our history.
29 October 2020
For a downloadable version of this statement please click here.
***
June 2020
Europeana Sport - Ireland’s Stories
Europeana Sport - Ireland’s Stories is a new online sports collection campaign running from June 2020 until the end of the year, under the Europeana Sport international collection campaign. Ireland’s Stories is seeking to engage with local communities, libraries, archives, museums, galleries, and any type of cultural heritage organisations to collect and share sporting heritage. Coordinating partners include the Digital Repository of Ireland, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, European Expo2020, Hunt Museum, University of Limerick Conference & Sports Campus and the Fethard Horse Country Experience with many new partners joining the team. Any individual or organisation wishing to get involved can register their interest.
***
DRI Research Award 2020
The Digital Repository of Ireland invites early career researchers to apply for our annual Research Award. This Award grants a prize to an original piece of research (e.g. research done for Master’s or PhD thesis, article or publication) informed in whole, or in part, by objects/collections deposited in DRI. More information can be found here.
May 2020
ARA Together Support Hub
We at ARA Ireland would like to draw your attention to the ARA Together Support Hub which has been recently set up to support ARA members and the Archives and Record Keeping Sector, as a whole, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Feel feel to browse here. If you have any queries specific to the Ireland region, please feel free to contact us at ara.irelandregion@gmail.com.
Archives and Legal Proceedings - ARA report published
Recently the Archives and Records Association published its latest Guidance on Archives and Legal Proceedings report. The purpose of the guidance is to support archivists and records managers to manage the use of archives and records in legal proceedings. Over the decades, archives and records have regularly been produced in legal proceedings over issues such as land ownership and rights of way. More recently there have been several high-profile occasions where the production of archives and records in inquiries and court proceedings have played a pivotal role, such as:
The Hillsborough Disaster Inquiry, subsequent inquests and criminal trials
The Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry
The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry
The report provides an overview of the issues surrounding the use of archives and records in court and provides some guidance for record-keepers. It also provides case studies which outline current practice in the sector. To download the full report, please click here.
ARA Volunteer award 2020
Winners will have a national platform to celebrate their volunteers’ contribution to the service and gain publicity for their archive’s role in supporting individuals and community through volunteering programmes.
A) Impact on volunteers
B) Impact on service
C) Wider impact
Completed nomination forms need to be returned to volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk by 30th April 2020.
ARA Ireland Statement on 40th Anniversary
National Gallery of Ireland
Thursday 5 December 2019
On Thursday 5 December 2019 the Archives and Records Association Ireland held an event to commemorate the foundation in 1979 of their predecessor organisation, the Society of Archivists Ireland. The event also included the formal appointment of Aideen Ireland as President of the Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland.
ARA Ireland were honoured to welcome President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins to address the event, and we express our deepest gratitude to President Higgins for his continued support for our organisation and our profession.
We note with thanks the wonderful speech delivered by President Higgins which illustrates this public support, most notably we appreciate the many references to the work of archivists and the many challenges they face. Both a written and an audio version of the speech are available here. More images from the evening, taken by Jenny Mathews, are available on our gallery page.
Finally ARA Ireland's response to President Higgins' speech, given on the night by Niamh Ní Charra (Communications Officer, ARA Ireland) in Irish and English, is available to read in both languages here.
President Michael D. Higgins, and his wife Sabina with the ARA Ireland committee
***
ARA Ireland Explore Your Archive Ambassador 2019
Statement from ARA Ireland Committee
November 2019
In response to events surrounding the online comments made by former ARA Head of Public Affairs, in August 2019, and in support of ARA Ireland’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion in the Irish archives and records sector, ARA Ireland is pleased to announce we are holding a training seminar ‘Championing Diversity and Inclusion in Irish Archives and Records’. The aim of this training event is to provide a platform for sharing the strategies and experiences of individuals and organisations who have contributed to the important work of diversifying Irish archives and records and to the wider conversation around archival representation, community engagement and inclusion. As illustrated by the recent twitter controversy surrounding the ARA Conference 2019, ARA Ireland acknowledges that there is a lot of work to be done within the Archives and Records Association in order to further the goals of the Glasgow Manifesto and is keen to re-iterate its position in support of all actions to diversify both the profession and the field of archiving and record keeping more generally. With this training event, ARA, Ireland seeks to continue the conversation around diversity and inclusion in Irish archives and records and provide the opportunity for its members to learn about and engage with different strategies and approaches to diversifying archival collections. We are very grateful to our speakers for their participation and recognise that this training event is just the first of many steps we need to take.
***
November 2019
ARA Ireland's Autumn newsletter is now available and can be viewed here.
Details of the Ireland launch of Explore Your Archives 2019 have also been announced. The Irish campaign will launch at 6pm, Thursday 21st November at the Irish Architectural Archive. Please RSVP here.
The next ARA training event Championing Diversity and Inclusion in Irish Archives and Records will take place prior to the EYA launch, from 2 - 5.30pm.
***
September 2019
We are pleased to announce that Aideen Ireland has been appointed the new ARA UK & Ireland President. Aideen will be making awards presentations in the Autumn. An official "inauguration" will be held in Dublin in December where we will also be celebrating 40 years of the SoA/ARA Ireland.
Aside from her extensive work at the National Archives of Ireland and across the sector during a distinguished career, Aideen has also served as a member of the council, as president and as fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and as council member and fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, London. Aideen retired in 2016.
***