SINAS Research Seminar: "Anonn is anall: Oral history and the Irish language in Greater Boston and New England”

Abstract:

‘Boston and the Irish Language: Fifty Years of Cultural Connection in Oral History’ commenced in 2017, sponsored by Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston and funded by a grant from Mass Humanities (NEH). The project documents the life stories of immigrants from Ireland to the greater Boston area whose first language is Irish. Hosted and disseminated by the Open Archives at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and supported by the Emigrant Support Programme, Ireland, these interviews explore the shared experiences of emigration, assimilation, employment, and the challenges that Irish-speaking Americans undergo in maintaining cultural memory and contact with communities in the homeland and in the United States. Each interview in the collection is presented with a brief biographical summary, an Irish-language transcription, and an English translation. 

We will present an overview of the history of this project and of challenges faced in conducting the interviews and preparing them for the collection through a selection of excerpts that indicate the range of material contained within this archive. We will conclude by discussing the future of the project and the value of this growing electronic resource for teachers and specialists in the Celtic languages.