About

The Life Histories Archive is an open-access resource for the study of narrative life experiences. It is part of a research project in the School of Linguistic, Language and Communication Sciences and the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin, which is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). The Life Histories Archive project has thematically structured a collection of stories, taken from 24 autobiographies, of a sample of women and men from Dublin and Belfast.

The purpose of the Life Histories Archive is to capture, catalogue and pass on some of the main life experiences of women and men in modern Ireland. Life histories and memories are important for the preservation of our heritage. The creation of accrued cultural meaning, from the experiences of the lived life, and the telling of those stories to others, informs future generations.

We invite you to explore the Life Histories Archive, and to enjoy the stories you find here. The auto biographers generously shared the high points of their lives, along with some of the low points. The benefits to them were many; the benefits of this intergenerational exchange of wisdom to you, the readership, are immeasurable.

Life Histories Archive Research Team:

  • Dr Kathleen McTiernan, Principal Investigator, Life Histories Archive
  • Dr Deirdre O'Donnell, Senior Research Associate, Life Histories Archive
  • Niamh Brennan, Programme Manager, Research and Information Systems and Services, Trinity College Library Dublin
  • Dr Maryann Valiulis, Consultant Research Associate, Director of the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies, Trinity College Dublin
  • Ronan Burns, Website Design and Development, Life Histories Archive

Special thanks to:

  • All of the participants, Life Histories Archive

Thanks also to:

  • Claire Marie Quentin, Research Assistant, Life Histories Archive
  • Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Acknowledgements:

  • The creators of Omeka at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
  • Erin Bell, Center for Public History and Digital Humanities, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, creator of the Omeka 'Deco' theme
  • Enovation Solutions Ltd, Dublin Hosting and hardware maintenance