Press release
€155,731 approved for Conradh na Gaeilge Archive
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Funding of up to €155,731 has been approved by the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., to enable Conradh na Gaeilge to continue important work in relation to its archive. The Conradh na Gaeilge archive is a highly valuable historical resource which gives an insight into the work of the organisation since its foundation in 1893, especially regarding the Gaelic Revival and the role of An Conradh in the independence movement. Conradh na Gaeilge has been working in recent years to ensure the future of this resource and to make the material contained in it available to the public and to researchers.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media has supported this project since 2016. Achievements of Conradh na Gaeilge with the help of this funding include the digitisation of An Claidheamh Soluis and Leabhair Ard-Fheise Chonradh na Gaeilge, both of which have been made available to the global public. The story of the Irish language from the beginning of the Revival to the present day in Ireland and abroad has also been discussed at more than 50 public events and four series of presentations have been made available to more than 200 centres and groups in Ireland and abroad.
The additional funding from the Department will enable Conradh na Gaeilge to continue the digitisation of the archive and organise more exhibitions of the material. Conradh na Gaeilge hopes to provide a permanent public archival exhibition as part of the redevelopment to be undertaken on the organisation’s headquarters on Harcourt Street in Dublin.
Speaking on the matter today, Minister of State O’Donovan said:
“My Department recognises the importance of the archival material from the Conradh na Gaeilge collection to the history of Ireland and to the Irish language. It is important that this material is preserved and that it be made available for generations to come. As a result of the digitisation completed so far, we have an excellent online resource and it is fantastic that the collection is available to be viewed around the world.”
Paula Melvin, President of Conradh na Gaeilge, said:
“We are very grateful to Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan and to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media for providing Conradh na Gaeilge with this important funding to increase our ability to continue the development of the organisation’s archive. The next two years will be focused specifically on presenting to the public the material that has already been digitised and new material that is yet to be digitised, and on sharing widely the background information of the Gaelic Revival in each county.”
Notes to the Editor:
• The digitised An Claidheamh Soluis, the primary source of the early Revival, is available here.
• The digitised Leabhair Ard-Fheise Chonradh na Gaeilge is available here: here.