In Conversation: Archivists Collaborating with Historians - Dr Catriona Crowe, Professor Ian McBride скачать в хорошем качестве

In Conversation: Archivists Collaborating with Historians - Dr Catriona Crowe, Professor Ian McBride

On 20 February 2025, Writing Peace hosted a workshop in collaboration with the National Archives of Ireland, University College Dublin, University of Galway, the National Archives of the UK, and Queen’s University Belfast at Dublin Castle. This workshop was part of the Archiving Conflict and Reconciliation initiative, which is funded by the Government of Ireland Reconciliation Fund and which aims to foster collaborations between archives and generate new funding for archival work relating to the conflict and reconciliation process with a view to ensuring the preservation of the documentary record for future generations and greater accessibility for researchers. Sessions in the Dublin workshop covered several themes, including the indexing of archives with relevant material, development of useful style guides, processes around the release of state papers, methods of building relationships with depositors, and trauma informed archival practice for practitioners. This session was chaired by Professor Ian McBride, who interviewed Dr Catriona Crowe about her extensive experience working with the National Archives of Ireland. Dr Crowe spoke about the tragedy of the destruction of the Public Records Office of Ireland in 1922, which led to the destruction of documents that dated all the way back to the period before the Great Famine. She referred to the transformative impact of the introduction of the National Archives Act 1986, which resulted in a deluge of papers from the Department of States being transferred to the National Archives. The expansion in and increased availability of sources in turn encouraged twentieth-century historians to write new histories. Dr Crowe and Prof McBride also discussed the scope of collaboration between archivists and historians, referring to the opportunities and challenges for the same in advance of the Decade of Centenaries. Dr Crowe said that historians lobbied for the release of oral history and military pension files, and on their release, archivists made the material available and began digitizing it as well. She spoke about the impact of this inflow of historical material on the Irish public, for whom myths from the Easter Rising and the Civil War had long been passed down in the form of family history. Further, she noted how a deeper engagement with historical material has allowed people to interrogate of the implicit hierarchy of victimhood that Irish martyrs and survivors of violence have long been situated within. The panelists referred to examples of political interference in cultural and historical institutions around the world, and Dr Crowe expressed concern about the impact of social media on the concentration skills of young people. She highlighted the importance of evidence-based research, questioning the point of view expressed by archival records, and recognizing trauma that is related to and which emerges from the archive. In response to a question from Prof McBride, Dr Crowe gave an overview of the developments that have facilitated progress towards a policy of full disclosure to the public in general and to victim–survivors in particular. She acknowledged the work carried out by the Truth Recovery Independent Panel, which has enabled people to access records which could hold valuable information about their personal experiences and identity. 00:00—03:54 Introductions 03:55—09:22 Impact of the Destruction of the Public Records Office in 1922 09:23—19:14 Decade of Centenaries and the Scope for Collaboration Between Archivists and Historians 19:15—25:02 Interference of Political Actors in Cultural and Historical Institutions 25:03—28:33 Disclosure of Records Related to Traumatic Events and Sensitive Content 28:34—40:07 Audience Questions 40:08—45:08 Conclusions