Over the course of the next year, it is proposed to develop a location for a small centre under the above tentative working title. It will be dedicated to research, promotion, outreach and publication in the areas of local social and cultural history. The area to be covered will include Kilkenny City and County, Laois, Offaly, and peripheral areas of Kildare, Carlow, Waterford and Tipperary.

 

The proposal is being made by an ad-hoc group which includes interested parties from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines, with support from the Ireland in Place Project, which is concerned mainly with the Irish presence in North America. It is hoped to establish a relationship with the Addlestone Irish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, which has recently acquired significant material on Irish connections with America.

 

Although serious academic research will not be excluded from the centre’s brief, the main emphasis will be on the sub-academic so as to create free access without barriers (real or imagined). It is hoped, however, that academic researchers will use the resources collected and made available by the centre, and in an ideal situation the centre would be located in or near a third-level facility.

 

A particular focus of the centre will be the imaginative presentation, through events, programs, projects and publications, of material relating to individual and family history. These initiatives will be carried out by, and aimed at, local people who do not necessarily have academic qualifications, but who have a lively interest in the area and some talent for communication. Those with or seeking academic qualifications will also be very welcome to become involved.

 

The centre will also manage projects initiated by other institutions and agencies, including projects with a strong heritage documentation, presentation and promotion aspect. It will generate income through fees from this work, from grants and from voluntary contributions.