Irish COVID-19 Oral History Project

Dublin City University this month has launched the Irish COVID-19 Oral History Project. Same focuses on orally archiving the Irish lived experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, for historical purposes.

Led by Ms Caitriona Ni Cassaithe and Professor Ms Theo Lynn, the project is intended to curate a collection of oral histories, detailing the Irish experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Irish communities are living through it, both at home and abroad.

These findings are intended to be used by historians, researchers and policymakers in years to come to inform responses to future pandemics.

It was initially inspired by work being undertaken by Professor Jason Kelly (IUPUI) on the US-based COVID-19 Oral History Project, a partner project of ‘A Journal of the Plague Year’, and efforts are being coordinated with the IUPUI project.

All data will be stored in Ireland and managed by DCU, but will be shared with the wider research community, including IUPUI, over time on an open access basis.

The team behind the oral history project are asking the general public to go to the project website, View HERE, record their answers to the questions asked and upload them.

For those who cannot record their submission for whatever reason, there is an option to submit a written response on the website.

Caitríona Ní Cassaithe, from the School of STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies, stated “History is experienced and viewed differently by the various people who shape it and are impacted by it. Our current moment in history is one that will be debated, discussed and contemplated for decades, if not centuries to come.
Oral histories can be used to give a voice to the silent or neglected Irish communities – those people whose voices are not always heard in history.”