Memories of local and national historical events comprise an important element of the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. A series of interviews made with Dublin people in 1979-80 contain vivid contemporary accounts of the 1916 Easter Rising and of the events leading to independence and the Civil War.
Remembering 1916 is funded by UCD’s Decade of Centenaries Internal Award Scheme. As a major holder of archives of national and international significance relating to the period 1912 to 1923, UCD’s vision for these commemorations is to inform national debate and understanding with an objective scholarly voice, in a manner that brings education and new perspectives to the fore. For information on UCD conferences, exhibitions, publications and other outputs relating to the Decade of Centenaries, please go to http://centenaries.ucd.ie
The Urban Folklore Project
The Urban Folklore Project of 1979-1980 has preserved a valuable audio record of Dublin’s folklore and social history. The project was undertaken by the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin, directed by Dr Séamas Ó Catháin. It originated as a Government employment scheme to provide work for university graduates at a time of severe economic recession.