PROJECT STATEMENT
KILKENNY AUDIT OF ORAL HERITAGE RECORDINGS
Kilkenny County Council Heritage Office, with assistance from the Heritage Council, have announced an exciting new audit of oral heritage recordings in County Kilkenny (Phase II). The project aims to identify recorded collections of oral heritage and folklore that have been undertaken over the decades, in both private and public bodies, as well as by individuals. This can range from professional work undertaken by the Irish Folklore Commission, to a community collection of folk traditions and customs, or a family recording, undertaken to document the memories of a grandmother.
This phase follows previous research undertaken in 2018 and will build on an understanding of the voice recordings (both audio and video) that have been made over the decades in the county. The project, which will run until October 2024, is limited to spoken word recollections, as distinct from recordings of music, singing etc. It is important to note that the project is not seeking to physically take collections, but instead is aimed at compiling a detailed list of what has been recorded as well as information about the collections, like their current location, condition, format, content etc.
PROJECT MISSION STATEMENT
The Kilkenny Audit of Oral Heritage Collections aims to deliver for the first time, a comprehensive and data-rich listing of all known collections of memory, oral history, and folklore, in or about the County of Kilkenny, collected over many decades. Its central focus will be to document what has been recorded both at private individual levels, as well as regionally and nationally and to recognise the work of many collectors, without whom, this memory would be lost. The output will include a wide-ranging database, as well as contextual, historical, and cultural descriptions of identified collections.
Consultation and Methodology
Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting, leading experts in the fields of heritage and oral history, as well as the delivery of large-scale cultural audits, have been appointed to lead the project, Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting have already successfully completed similar audits in Counties Donegal, Galway, Fingal, Westmeath, and Cork. A crucial part of the Project methodology will be to invite Kilkenny County Council Staff, members of the public, local history societies, churches, and community groups to submit details on collections for consideration and inclusion within the audit. This information, together with liaison throughout the process, will greatly assist in capturing and integrating localised knowledge. A carefully prepared and agreed audit approach will elicit critical data including collection extent, formats and state of digital preservation. This will generate of a usable digital resource, reflecting associated metadata, collection level descriptions, available web links and addresses etc.
What collections are included?
From professionally catalogued archives to shoeboxes full of old cassette tapes, the audit will for the first time compile a database, reflecting what has been collected over the decades relating to the county and establish key points of information on each collection/recording.
Funding
This project is an Action of the Kilkenny County Heritage Plan and is supported by funding from the Heritage Council and Kilkenny County Council. The project is being overseen by Kilkenny County Council Heritage Officer, Regina Fitzpatrick.
How to get involved?
If you are a local heritage or community group, or individual who wants to ensure your local collection included, you are asked to contact Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting directly at macconmaraheritage@gmail.com or 087 9160373.