Audit seeks oral history and folklore recordings in Westmeath

A major heritage audit seeking to identify collections of oral history, folklore, and stories of times past has been ongoing in Westmeath since the summer.

The Audit of Oral Heritage Recordings in County Westmeath is being run through the Heritage Office of Westmeath County Council and has already elicited a positive response according to the team involved.

Melanie McQuade, heritage officer for Westmeath, said almost 30 collections have been identified.

“Oral history is an area of heritage that is growing in popularity all the time – however, it is evident from the findings of this project so far that there have been many committed individuals and groups who have collected in different ways, memories and stories relating to Westmeath over the years.

“It is great to see such an enthusiastic response from the Westmeath public. We want to now ensure that anyone who may not have heard of the project gets a chance to contribute their information on interviews, whether on digital format, cassette tapes, or even older legacy recordings.”

The second phase of the project will include a further call-out for collections, as well as the creation of a detailed database relating to collections already documented.

Dr Tomás Mac Conmara, who leads the consultancy appointed to lead the audit, said: “The levels of positivity shown to us by people across Westmeath have been really encouraging, and reflect their appetite for heritage and the recognition that these recordings contain priceless information and knowledge about their native county.

“It is obvious, however, that there will be people across the county who may not have been aware of the project and who know of collections or recordings that were undertaken. It is very important to us that, in so far as possible, nobody is left out.”

Dr Mac Conmara, well-known as an oral historian, said the project is not about physically taking collections: “We want to be clear with the public that at this stage we want to speak with people who may have recordings, and document information about each collection, however big or small, within the county.

“The result will be a database of information on all recordings and collections of oral history within or relating to Westmeath. This database will then be made available to the public.”

• If you have any information on oral heritage recordings or collections on County Westmeath topics, people or places, please contact Mac Conmara Heritage Consulting on 087 916 0373 or by e-mail at macconmaraheritage@gmail.com.