Over 8,500 letters and 280 life stories to date written by Irish emigrants to family and friends at home will be the focus of a very interesting and informative event at CREW in Galway on Friday, 25 September.
CREW is partnering with University of Galway for the next Design Mingle: Creative Connections event, which will introduce audiences to Imirce, a digital archive documenting the experiences of Irish people who emigrated to North America.
The archive includes letters, memoirs and life stories spanning several centuries, recording everything from work and family life to separation, homesickness and the experience of starting again in a new country.
Among them is a letter from a Galway woman writing home in 1921:
“Ah Nora, It makes my very heart break when I think right of home … oh Nora I hate to think of it because I do be that homesick and lonely.”
Imirce grew from a collection assembled over five decades by historian Professor Kerby A. Miller and donated to University of Galway. The project continues to collect new material and is encouraging people who have emigrant letters, memoirs or other personal accounts in family collections to consider contributing them to the archive.
Design Mingle: Creative Connections is a series of informal events hosted by CREW, bringing people from across Galway’s creative, business, research and wider community together to meet, exchange ideas and build new connections. The series is part of CREW’s wider work supporting creative entrepreneurs, startups and businesses and building a stronger network around Galway’s growing creative industries.
At the event, Professor Daniel Carey and Project Digital Archivist Kyle Kusch of University of Galway will introduce Imirce and share stories from the collection. The event is open to anyone interested in Irish history, genealogy, migration and the Irish diaspora, as well as writers, filmmakers and others interested in exploring the archive.
Design Mingle: Creative Connections – Imirce takes place from 11.30am to 1.30pm on Friday, 25 September at CREW, Wellpark, Galway. The event is free and includes coffee and a light lunch, spaces are limited so advance registration is required. Register at: https://crewdigital.ie/event/design-mingle-creative-connections-imirce/
The Design Mingle series is funded by Galway City Council through its Creative Communities Fund, an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme.
