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Irish History Podcast

Getting Dirty in a Digital Archive

What did Dublin look like before the authorities demolished the medieval city? 

How did Irish people address Queen Victoria during the Famine?

The answers to these questions lie in documents stored in Dublin City Library's archives which chronicles 800 years of life in the city. Until now the only way to access the archive and it's fascinating stories was to go in person to Pearse Street Library. 

That is all about to change. 

This week sees the launch of a ground breaking project as Dublin City Library and Archive publish 50,000 documents online. Better still they are asking history fans across the world to help transcribe this archive.

In this podcast librarian Padraic Stack brings you behind the scenes in the archive. He tells the fascinating stories of letters to the Queen during the Famine and how medieval Dublin was demolished. He also explains how you (yes you!) can get involved in transcribing these documents from the comfort of your home. 


Its a rare opportunity to get dirty in Dublin's archives! The link referenced in the show is here


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