The multimedia site Inspiring Ireland launched in 2014 with a beautiful collection of objects from eight of Ireland's National Cultural Institutions. Artfully grouped into three broad but fundamental themes – Sense of Place, Sense of Identity, and Sense of Freedom – these initial exhibitions provide a window into Ireland's social and cultural heritage, using themes and narratives that contextualise this heritage. The pilot project quickly received accolades, and won three Ireland eGovernment Awards in 2015.
The next phase of this exciting project is Inspiring Ireland 1916: Weaving Public and Private Narratives. Through a fresh series of exhibits of fascinating objects – digitised photos, diaries, posters, aural recordings, video, and ephemera – Inspiring Ireland 1916 tells the known and lesser-known stories of the people, events and legacy of 1916. ‘Iconic’ objects from the National Archives of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland, and RTÉ Archives are exhibited alongside ‘found’ objects from private collections digitised at national and international ‘collection days’. These events offer communities and the global Irish diaspora an innovative way of contributing to the preservation of Ireland’s cultural heritage.
Inspiring Ireland 1916 will publish seven thematic exhibitions between January and May 2016. The digitised content weaves the public and private narratives of those involved in the Rising, and others who did not fight, to show how lives were changed utterly as a consequence of the events that took place. Rich themes, compelling narratives and expert commentary by Irish and international historians, are brought together to contextualise this heritage.
Inspiring Ireland 1916 is a dynamic, multimedia reflection on the people, events, and legacy of 1916 in a single online portal. It opens the nation’s cultural heritage to a wider viewership and provides an indispensible tool for people to enrich their understanding of this seminal period in Irish history, regardless of their location. Inspiring Ireland is built on the infrastructure of the DRI, Ireland’s national trusted digital repository for humanities and social sciences data. This means that this digitised 1916 content will be preserved for long-term access and discovery, and will continue to be available to a worldwide audience for the next 100 years and beyond.
Sheol an suíomh ilmheánach Inspiring Ireland an chéad bhailiúchán d’ábhar gleoite ó ocht gcinn d’institiúidí náisiúnta cultúrtha na hÉireann in 2014. Rangaíodh na chéad taispeántais go healaíonta de réir trí théama leathana bhunúsacha - Sense of Place, Sense of Identity, agus Sense of Freedom, agus tugann na taispeántais seo léargas ar oidhreacht shóisialta agus chultúrtha na hÉireann le téamaí agus scéalta a léiríonn comhthéacs na hoidhreachta céanna. Bronnadh gradaim ar an tionscadal píolótach go luath tar éis a bhunaithe, lena n-áirítear trí Ghradam Ríomhsheirbhísí de chuid an Rialtais in 2015, ‘buaiteoir iomlán’ ina measc.
Is é Inspiring Ireland 1916: Weaving Public and Private Narratives an chéad chéim eile den tionscadal iontach seo. Insíonn Inspiring Ireland 1916 scéalta aitheanta agus scéalta nach bhfuil chomh haitheanta sin faoi dhaoine, faoi eachtraí agus faoi oidhreacht 1916 le sraith úr taispeántas d’ábhar digitithe - grianghraif, dialanna, póstaeir, taifeadtaí fuaime, físeáin agus ábhar ilghnéitheach. Taispeántar ábhar ‘cáiliúil’ ó Chartlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (NAI), Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann (NLI), Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann (NMI) agus Cartlanna RTÉ taobh le hábhar ‘aimsithe’ ó bhailiúcháin phríobháideacha a ndearnadh digitiú air ag ‘laethanta bailithe’ ar fud na tíre agus thar lear. Tugann na hócáidí seo bealach nuálach do phobail agus don diaspóra Éireannach ar fud an domhain páirt a ghlacadh i gcaomhnú oidhreacht chultúrtha na hÉireann.
Idir Eanáir agus Bealtaine 2016 foilseoidh Inspiring Ireland 1916 seacht dtaispeántas ar théamaí éagsúla. San ábhar digiteach fuaitear le chéile faisnéisí poiblí agus príobháideacha na ndaoine a ghlac páirt san Éirí Amach agus na ndaoine nach raibh i mbun troda, d’fhonn léargas a thabhairt ar an athrú iomlán a tháinig chun cinn de bharr na n-imeachtaí. Teaglamaítear téamaí éachtacha, faisnéisí cumhachtacha agus saintráchtaireacht le staraithe náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta a léiríonn comhthéacs an chultúir seo.
Cuireann Inspiring Ireland 1916 ar chumas na n-úsáideoirí machnamh nuálach il-mheánach a dhéanamh ar na daoine, na himeachtaí agus ar oidhreacht 1916 in aon tairseach ar líne amháin. Nochtann sé oidhreacht chultúrtha na tíre do phobal fairsing agus cuireann sé uirlis riachtanach ar fáil do dhaoine a chuirfidh lena dtuiscint den tréimhse is cinniúnaí i stair na hÉireann, pé áit sa domhan ina bhfuil siad. Tógadh Inspiring Ireland ar infreastruchtúr TDÉ (DRI) taisclann dhigiteach iontaofa náisiúnta na hÉireann do shonraí sóisialta agus cultúrtha.
Ciallaíonn sé seo go gcaomhnófar an t-ábhar digitithe seo a bhaineann le 1916 agus go mbeidh teacht fadtéarmach air agus go mbeidh sé ar fáil do phobal domhanda as seo go ceann céad bliain eile agus ina dhiaidh sin.