Declassifying Material Relating to the Conflict - Dr Catriona Crowe, Frank Sheridan & Wesley Geddis скачать в хорошем качестве

Declassifying Material Relating to the Conflict - Dr Catriona Crowe, Frank Sheridan & Wesley Geddis

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. Dr Catriona Crowe, who chaired this session, invited Wesley Geddis and Frank Sheridan to speak about their experiences within PRONI (Public Records Office of Northern Ireland) and the National Archives of Ireland respectively, specifically with regards to the process for the release of documents related to the Troubles to the public. Geddis gave an overview of the types of files held at PRONI and described the two ways in which information came to be released to the public—reactively and proactively. Geddis described the legislation that governed the reactive release of documents, including the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection Act 2018, and Court Files Privileged Access Rules (NI) 2016. He listed the various exemptions that restrict the release of information, including sensitive material, material that could adversely affect relations between countries, and health and safety concerns, among others. Proactive release refers to the release of documents after the end of their stipulated retention period, which used to be 30 years in 1976 and is now 20 years. Geddis demonstrated elements of PRONI’s online catalogue and referred to their partnership with the University of Ulster that aims to make a selection of documents from the archive available to the public on the internet. Geddis also spoke about the impact of the release of information on the public. While the outcomes were generally positive, he noted one drawback in that an orientation towards transparency was resulting in the sanitization of that the public records that were currently being produced. Sheridan began his talk by making note of the unique position he was in vis a vis the archive, as his involvement in the Department of Foreign Affairs during the Troubles had led to him becoming familiar with all the contributors to the files. He also spoke about GDPR concerns, and the elaborate research process he had developed to ensure that information in the files did not encroach upon an living individual’s privacy. He gave the example of needing to protect the identity of individuals who had made complaints to the Anglo Irish Secretariat regarding the actions of security forces in Northern Ireland under the Anglo Irish Agreement of 1985. For Sheridan, another objective of his work is to bring to the public’s attention the different aspects and actors involved in the peace process. To facilitate this, the National Archives provides journalists with early access to the files, which allows large Irish newspapers and even RTE to cover material from new releases. Finally, Sheridan noted the challenge of dealing with electronic records, including data recorded in the form of obsolete or outdated technology, and how important it is for archives to try and make data recorded in all kinds of formats accessible to the public. 00:00–05:08 Introductions 05:09–10:50 Introduction by Wesley Geddis on PRONI: Relevant Legislation and Types of Records 10:51–17:44 Release process—Reactive and Proactive Releases 17:45– 24:07 Exemptions to the Release of Information 24:08–28:09 PRONI Online Catalogue and Partnerships 28:10–29:36 Consequences of Increased Transparency 29:37–30:44 Introduction by Frank Sheridan 30:45–35:18 Release Process for the NAI 35:19–38:56 Publicizing the Peace Process 38:57–40:21 Electronic Records and Technological Obsolescence 40:22–49:46 Dr Crowe's Question on Data Protection Policies and the Importance of Making Data Accessible 49:47–59:53 Audience Questions