On Monday, 9th December five new community heritage recording groups were welcomed into the Irish Community Archive Network (ICAN) during a special launch event held in Roundwood. This event was coordinated by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council.
The newly welcomed groups are: the Roundwood Historical Society, the United Friends of Derralossary, the Blessington Historical Group, Tinahely History and the Wicklow Town Archive Film Project.
These groups join an existing network in County Wicklow, which now includes eleven groups in total. The established members are: Donard Imaal History, Glendalough Heritage Forum, Medieval Bray Project, Rathdown Ancient Heartlands, Delgany Heritage Village and Glens of Lead. The Wicklow ICAN network is coordinated by the Heritage Officer of Wicklow County Council in collaboration with the Wicklow County Archives service and the Wicklow Local Studies librarian.
Speaking at the launch, the Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Paul O'Brien, stated “ I am delighted to be here to welcome new groups to the ICAN network. Community Archives are an invaluable tool, giving local groups the required skills and support to collect, preserve and make accessible their local history and heritage online”.
Wicklow County Council's Chief Executive, Emer O'Gorman, also welcomed the expansion of the Wicklow ICAN network stating “Wicklow County Council supports this partnership with the National Museum and The Heritage Council, and we recognize ICAN as a vital component of our heritage infrastructure in County Wicklow, as outlined in the County Wicklow Heritage Plan.”
Lorna Elms, ICAN co-ordinator with the National Museum of Ireland attended the event, commenting that “We are delighted to add these new Wicklow community archives to our network which currently includes thirty eight group nationally. As well as documenting information about local people, places, folklore, customs and traditions, community archives are also a valuable resource for genealogy and ancestry projects”.
A representative from each of the five new member groups delivered a brief presentation about their activities and future plans. Anyone with an interest in nature, history, or cultural heritage in County Wicklow is encouraged to visit the ICAN websites at https://wicklowheritage.org/ where they will discover a wealth of local information. The sites are interactive, allowing visitors to share comments and stories easily. As these sites are volunteer-run, they are always looking for new members to get involved. Interested individuals can find contact details on each site to reach out.