Galway University Foundation
Project Title
In support of the Imirce Project, documenting the Irish emigration experience to North America
Date
Dec. 12, 2024
Duration
12 months
Description
The Imirce database at the University of Galway in Ireland offers online access to thousands of letters and memoirs written by Irish emigrants to North America from the 1600s to the late 1900s. These documents provide invaluable insights into the experiences of emigrants, often under difficult conditions, and their efforts to integrate into a new society. The database, derived from a collection of 7,000 items curated by historian Kerby A. Miller and donated to the university in 2021, aims to double its size by 2030. With Corporation support, the Imirce database will solicit additional material, develop educational resources for various academic levels, and enhance digital mapping tools and data visualization to establish the Imirce database as a premier resource for studying the Irish emigrant experience. It is expected that the results will be widely disseminated in the United States and draw connections to Americans and the long history of Irish immigration to the United States.