On his final day as @president.ie we’d like to acknowledge and thank President Michael D Higgins for his ongoing support for our sector. In Dec 2019 we welcomed him as guest of honour at an event held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of #ARAIreland and its predecessor org… 1/4

⏰ Reminder: ISA AGM & Lecture – 13th November at 6 PM ✨ Don't forget to join us at Dublin City Library for @niamhnicharra.bsky.social's talk on the Mary Robinson Archive! 📚 🕰️ Refreshments from 6 PM 👉 Register now via Eventbrite #IrishArchives #MaryRobinson #Archives

🧵1/3 On World Digital Preservation Day I'm delighted to re-share DRI's Irish language #DigiPres glossary released earlier this year, for which I was an advisor, and which followed on from a project I led in 2021 to designate over 200 archival terms in the Irish language #WDPD

Join us for the Irish Society for Archives AGM & Lecture! 🗓️ Thurs, 13 Nov 2025, 6pm 📍 Dublin City Library & Archive 🎙️ @niamhnicharra.bsky.social on the Mary Robinson Archive: 60 years of advocacy & activism. Register via Eventbrite! We hope to see you there! #IrishArchives #EYA

Save the Date! 📢 Join us for our AGM & Lecture on Thurs, 13 November 2025 at 6pm in Dublin City Library & Archive. Featuring @niamhnicharra.bsky.social on “A 60 Year Legacy of Advocacy and Activism – The Mary Robinson Archive.” More details & registration link coming soon! 👀 #IrishArchives #EYA

A potentially over-ambitious start I’ve mapped out for myself on 1st full day #ICABarcelona25 😜 Today I’m happy catching lots of interesting & varied presentations - tomorrow I’ll present on Mary Robinson archive & proudly fly 🇮🇪 as sole Irish archivist at ICA Congress. @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social

Ercus Stewart, Senior Counsel & Arbitrator, running in #DublinMarathon 35 yrs ago in support of Mary Robinson for President, from her archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social. Vote was 7th Nov in 1990. I wonder if anyone running today was celebrating Catherine Connolly’s win yesterday?! #Áras25

Now that count is complete in #Áras25 Presidential election I can share this item from Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social A ballot paper from 35 years ago that went astray, was found when centre was used for local elections in 1991, framed and gifted to MR. Just an idea in case…😜

From Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social an admission ticket to central count in RDS . I’ve a feeling the count this time around will be a lot faster! Pass was Bride Rosney’s - close friend, campaign committee member & later special adviser to MR #Áras25

One of my fav items in a recent accrual to Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social : a pro @fiannafailparty.bsky.social candidate Brian Lenihan ad in Irish Press day b4 voting day. Subsequently signed by winning Left candidate herself, framed & now in her archive. The shade 🤣🤣 #Áras25

35 years ago Mary Robinson wrote to heads of 3rd level institutions requesting lectures be cancelled on voting day or students not be penalised for missing them to go #HomeToVote, esp those on grants. Sample letter and various responses in her archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social #Áras25

Imagine going to vote for the next President of Ireland and having the choice to vote for your own child?! That’s what Dr Aubrey Bourke had when he (presumably!) voted for daughter Mary Robinson 35 years ago! We have his polling card @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social @uniofgalwaylib.bsky.social #Áras25

What better way to get voting day off to a lively start than to share these alternative lyrics to Simon and Garfunkel’s Mrs Robinson, which can be found in the #PresidentialElection material of Robinson’s archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social @uniofgalwaylib.bsky.social #Áras25

From Mary Robinson’s archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social #PresidentialElection campaign ephemera, contact sheet for promo photos that didn’t make the cut, & sample and draft posters and taglines covering the various themes and messages the campaign wanted to deliver to public. 1/3 #Áras25

As promised I’ll be sharing material from the Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social that relates to #PresidentialElection campaign to get us in the mood for tomorrow’s vote! What better way to kick off than to share not just the iconic poster but it’s Pantone numbers! #Aras25

A mini exhibition now running in @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social featuring material from Mary Robinson archive covering #PresidentialElection campaign. I’ll be sharing individual items over the next few days to whet the appetite for #Aras25 ! Stay tuned and/or come see!

Some material (including some great flags!) I selected from the Mary Robinson and Conradh na Gaeilge archives @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social which formed part of a mini exhibition to tie in with the ICTMD Symposium on Harping Traditions which took place @uniofgalway.bsky.social last Thursday.

A honour to be invited to join @dri.ie ‘s Expert Advisory Group, bringing to group my experience as archivist for @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social ‘s iconic Mary Robinson & Conradh na Gaeilge archives, advisor on DRI’s recent Irish Language #DigiPres terms project and as Chair @araireland.bsky.social.

As part of efforts to assist the wonderful 35-piece female choir from Occupied West Bank, Daughters of Jerusalem, in their upcoming tour to Ireland, FairPlé are holding a fundraiser next Wed 1st of Oct, in the Crane, Galway, to help IAFP with costs. Please share & come listen, play & donate

Such a pleasure to chat to @lynettefay.bsky.social for #MusicAtMaddens Podcast on my musical life, my work as an archivist @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social working on Mary Robinson archive and the work of FairPlé . Massive thanks to Maddens Bar, Belfast youtu.be/IAsS1FpLpsY?...

A lovely way to start #BelfastTradFest - watching #Kerry win the All Ireland in Madden’s Bar Belfast!

The story of Mary Robinson, in her own words, airs tonight on @rte.ie 9:35pm, the link below takes a look back at the Mary Robinson Climate & Nature Conference '25. We are proud to house the Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalway.bsky.social @niamhnicharra.bsky.social www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

That’s one busy schedule I have at next week’s #BelfastTradFest Looking forward to a very busy but fulfilling week, and to catching up with a rake of fabulous musicians while I’m at it! Full programme 👉 belfasttraditionalmusic.com

If you can be in the area, she's a fantastic musician. #IrishTrad #Music #Ireland #NorthernIreland

The countdown is on to Belfast Trad Fest where I’ll be tutoring, performing, presenting and sessioning as well as catching up with many old friends, making plenty of new ones and catching a free other gigs! www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com

Remember the £s we had before €s which were designed by artist Bobby Ballagh? The £10 had #JamesJoyce on it. Inside joke: Joyce was also a singer & supported his writing by singing support for John McCormack. Joyce was a tenor...on the tenner! Geddit?! #Bloomsday2025 #Bloomsday

What a fab night @thegaiety.bsky.social celebrating Riverdance’s 30th watching current cast & crew putting on a mighty show to a room full of Riverdance “alumni” who clapped ourselves sore and roared ourselves hoarse. A privilege to be part of this family and to attend.

1/x On leave today after a mad busy week in Dublin, Galway & Belfast, as archivist @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social & Chair @araireland.bsky.social. 1st up was attending event @ria.ie organised by European-Union funded network, Antidote: Advanced Training in Digitization of Older Texts. Antidote is

On this day 10 years ago so so many people came #HomeToVote in Ireland’s historic Marriage referendum. From the #MaryRobinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social a copy of @nytimes.com which she kept, showing her profound interest in & how important she perceived the result. #GráTheLaw #OTD

So sorry to hear of Irish poet #PaulDurcan ‘s passing. The Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social contains several letters & cards from Durcan to Robinson inc this postcard of the Berlin Wall wishing the “Wall breaker in Ireland 1990” success in the presidential election. @president.ie

Delighted to share our latest publication 'Digital Preservation: An Irish language Glossary'. Thanks to our colleagues in @gaois.bsky.social and @dri.ie for work to produce this resource for repositories and archivists. Special thanks to @niamhnicharra.bsky.social for her guidance ✨

'Téarmaíocht an Bhuanchoimeádta Dhigitigh: Gluais Ghaeilge do thaisclanna agus do chartlannaithe' ar fáil anois, mar chomhfhiontar le @dri.ie agus le hionchur mór ó @niamhnicharra.bsky.social agus an Coiste Téarmaíochta @forasnagaeilge.bsky.social.

Soooo today being #PoetryDayIrl & later this month being Dad’s 1st bday without him, to honour the mad yoke he was, here’s a poem of his included in UCG’s student magazine “SAOI” in 1963 which I found while going through some of his papers. Very dark humour and very him 🤣.

Today is #PoetrDayIRL & later this month we’ll have Dad’s 1st bday without him. To honour the mad yoke he was, here is a poem of his included in @uniofgalway.bsky.social ‘s student magazine “SAOI” in 1963 which I found while going through some of his papers. Very dark humour and very him 🤣

At #HeritageHorizons conf at Royal Hospital Kilmainham today on invite as Chair @araireland.bsky.social (🙏 Heritage Council ). Looking fwd to productive day of discussions, brainstorming and networking with fellow heritage profs on challenges for our sector, & keynote from @olionaird.bsky.social

30 years ago Riverdance the show came into existence following the Eurovision segment the previous year. I would go on to join them a few years later and spend 8 years touring full time with them before returning home to record and perform under my own name. 1/3

The #GoodFridayAgreement did not magically occur. Years of work by many got us to that stage. From the Mary Robininson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social this letter from Mo Mowlam: “The roots of the present ceasefire, and the desire for peace have been nurtured by your work as President.”

Delighted to be giving the next Galway Archaeological & Historical Society lecture at Harbour Hotel this eve at 8pm I’ll be giving an overview of the Mary Robinson Archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social gahs.ie/next-lecture/

A very productive day today firstly attending @araireland.bsky.social ‘s training on “How to care for archival collections”, presented by NAI‘s Jessica Baldwin, (great for a skills refresh) and then chairing #ARAIreland’s AGM 2025 to good and attentive crowd.

It being #MothersDay, it’s time to do my annual sharing of this collaboration I did with my wonderful mother Olivia O'Carra. Music and art celebrating Kerry! youtu.be/ztTz4ISinVM?...

From Mary Robinson (MR) archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social for #MothersDay a phone msg from Prof Lazerow re @ucsandiego.bsky.social summer law programme TCD 1980s with MR as lecturer, while she also worked as barrister & Senator. On reverse: a shopping list inc nappies - that’s some juggling! 💪

Well isn’t this something special! Honoured to be represented by Vítor González in his wonderful collection. If you’re feeling generous and supportive you know what to do! Celtic & Nordic Art by Vítor González www.verkami.com/projects/395...?

Gaeilge le feiscint ar ár mbealach chuig #ITAvIRE sa Róimh. Lovely to see Irish on our way to the Italy v @irishrugby.bsky.social gave in Rome. If they can do it…🤷‍♀️ #SeachtainNaGaeilge #snag25

Ááá GRMA Aedín @rte.ie Lyric & Colm Ó Foghlú xxx

Off to Rome for a break after a crazy few weeks. Attended @rte.ie #RTEFolkAwards, launch of @irisharchives1970.bsky.social journal in which I had piece, @itmadublin.bsky.social board meeting, ICTMD 🇮🇪conf as round table panellist to discuss development of Irish Popular Music Archive,

On #InternationalWomensDay2025 a photo from the Mary Robinson archive @uniofgalwayasc.bsky.social showing both Robinson and Mary McAleese in early 1980s possibly leaving the Law Courts. Robinson became Ireland’s first female @president.ie in 1990 with McAleese succeeded her in 1997. #IWD25

This day 10 years ago myself and the bould Kevin Corbett had our first official gig together in Ionad Culturtha Baile Mhúirne where he had the added pressure of meeting the folks for the first time 😬🤣 Looking fwd to next opportunity to venture to Baile Mhúirne arís! 📸 Valerie O’Sullivan

Hard to believe this was 15 years ago. A lovely memory of days touring with Carlos Núñez and so many fab concerts having Marie Le Cam join us as special guest. Merci Serge Nicolas for the fantastic photo!

Translation Café 1/2025 Tue 28 Jan, 1pm, THB-1003 HRB @uniofgalway.bsky.social Talk by me on how processing the Conradh na Gaeilge archive led to designation of over 200 new terms in the Irish language. @uniofgalwaylib.bsky.social All welcome! translation.universityofgalway.ie/translation-...

Such a fantastic few days in Killarney at #YourRootsAreShowing. Talked about working as one of very few female instrumentalists fronting own band in Irish Trad, challenges for women on the road and work of #FairPle on panel with Todd Cassetty of Song Suffragette and moderator Niamh Parsons 1/4