This article is from page 10 of the 2012-09-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE achievement of the Cuimhneamh an Chláir, Clare’s oral history project, will be celebrated later this week when Ireland’s second ever Oral History Conference comes to Ennis.
The Oral History Network of Ireland (OHNI) conference will take place at the Temple Gate Hotel this Friday and Saturday with subjects such as the pro-choice movement and the and peace process in Northern Ireland down for discussion.
Clare has proved a popular hunting ground for the folklore collectors over the decades while Cuimhneamh an Chláir have recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with the older generation of Clare people.
“The decision to hold the conference in Clare, following the inaugural conference in Kilkenny Castle in 2011, is a tribute to the rich oral heritage of the Banner County,” said Tomás Mac Conmara, a founding member of both Cuimhneamh an Chláir and the Oral History Net- work of Ireland.
Mac Conmara will deliver a paper at the conference entitled ‘War of Independence Commemorations and their meaning for social memory’.
One of the world’s best known oral historian, Alessandro Portelli, will also be in Ennis for the conference.
“Portelli will be talking about his latest work ‘They say in Harlan County’, which describes the struggles of miners in a depressed and disadvantaged area of the United States through their own eyes,” said Regina Fitzpatrick, OHNI chairperson.
“Anthony McIntyre will be giving a paper on his work in the Boston College Belfast Project. The oral history interviews that were collected have been the subject of a major court case in the United States following the British government’s determined efforts to get access to some of the more controversial interviews.”
To view the full conference programme or for more information on making a book visit www.oralhistorynetworkireland.ie or find the OHNI on Facebook.