Stories
The Irish Qualitative Data Archive primarily archives data produced by researchers. There are however many other sources of information on everyday lives. On this page we list some webpages which collect life stories.
Gaelic Athletic Association Oral History Project
The GAA Oral History Project, based in Boston College-Ireland, has been commissioned by the GAA as part of its 125th Anniversary celebrations. The project aims to record the fullest possible picture of what the GAA has meant to the Irish people, in their own words. The project is recording face-to-face interviews with thousands of people in Ireland and internationally, including GAA members and supporters and anyone who has ever had any contact or involvement with the GAA.
Audio from selected inteviews, along with pictures and stories, can be accessed on their webpage.
Irish Confraternities and Parish Website and database
The website above is part of a project whose aim is to document and study the contribution of parish confraternities to the religious and social history of modern Ireland. The objectives included the gathering of information on all traceable confraternities and associations in parishes throughout Ireland between approximately 1775 and 1965 in diocesan, religious and other archives. A bibliography of sources has been compiled, and a catalogue of memorabilia and objects associated with confraternities drawn up. A collection of printed materials, including manuals and certificates, is being handed over to the Russell Library in Maynooth College for curation. Selected oral recollections of confraternity members are also being preserved.
Over almost fifty years, Studs Turkel collected oral histories of the ordinary american, many of which he broadcast in a weekly radio show or produced in book form. The Chicago Historical Society has made available on it’s website a selection of Stud Terkel’s recordings from his radio program and his book research.
Story Corp
StoryCorps is a nonprofit organisation that has helped more than 50000 Americans record their stories. They say that “since 2003, over 50,000 everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, and millions listen to our weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on our Listen pages.”
Hearing Voices
Hearing Voices is a collective of independent radio producers headquartered in Montana, and residing across the U.S.A. Since 2001 they have produced 250+ stories and specials. We are funded by CPB, NEA and others. They say that there stories are drawn from “broadcasts, podcasts, sound-portraits, slam poets, features, found-sound, audio archives, audio art and docs.”
Transom.org
Transom.org describes itself as “an experiment in channelling new work and voices to public radio through the Internet, and for discussing that work, and encouraging more. We've designed Transom.org as a performance space, an open editorial session, an audition stage, a library, and a hangout. Our purpose is to create a worthy Internet site and make public radio better.”
The Transom site has a very good section on tools (digital recorders etc.) that they recommend for recording audio.
This American Life
This American Life is a popular public radio show produced by Chicago Public Radio. The shows features interviews, essays, memoirs, field recordings and found footage, which are broadcast each week on a theme. Old shows are available for listening online or can be bought via itunes
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