The Ballymurphy based youth and community organisation, Glór na Móna, has launched an exciting new history and heritage project that aims to document and chart the unique history of the Upper Springfield community. Launched today (Thursday December 5) as part of the Gaeltacht Quarter community festival Fléadh Feirste, the new project was officially kick-started by renowned University of Ulster Emeritus Sociology Professor Bill Rolston.
Unveiling the project at the launch, Prof Bill Rolston, commended Glór na Móna;
‘This is a fantastic project that has the capacity to empower the local community to chart, explore and disseminate their own history from below. It is always worth getting support and expertise from academics but who can advise in compiling such a valuable community history but it’s also crucially importance that this community retains control of its own history and narrative. This will guarantee a sense of collective ownership of this history thus ensuring the widest possible local participation in the project.
‘It is particularly significant and exciting that there is a specific oral history element to the project which will ensure that the fascinating history making endeavours of this dynamic and resilient Upper Springfield community will not be lost to the generations to come.’
Speaking on behalf of National Lottery, Heritage Fund, Board Member Angelina Fusco stated:
‘We are delighted to be able to work again with Glór na Móna Teo. We hope the project will help raise awareness of the unique and unprecedented heritage that exists here and the crucial importance of preserving and maintaining it in order to make it accessible as a community resource. This is so crucial in an area of disadvantage and if it helps tackle anti- social behaviour then not only will the lives of the young people transformed but that transformation will spread across the whole community.’
Also speaking at the event on behalf of, Glór na Móna Director, Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh stated:
‘We are totally delighted to be able to launch this exciting new heritage project as part of Fléadh Feirste and are very grateful for the Heritage Lottery Fund for supporting our proposal. Our aim is to engage with a range of local community organisations and local people to uncover, explore and excavate the social, cultural, natural and environmental history of our proud working-class community.
‘The Upper Springfield and Greater Ballymurphy area is renowned for its exemplary ability to develop ground-breaking community self-help initiatives spanning over 50 years and our project aims to preserve, showcase and make this hidden history accessible as a valuable community resource that helps embed and strengthen the communities pride and connection to local place.
‘We will be providing local people with training in digital archiving and oral history gathering with a view to curating and exhibiting a treasure trove of local heritage on a new interactive website that will begin the process of charting the history of our community and area.
‘We will also be developing and producing a series of short documentaries that chart different aspects of this eclectic and fascinating community history. Having begun our project back in May, we will be showing the first of these short documentaries on the history of local Ballymuphy primary school, Bunscoil an tSléibhe Dhuibh at the launch. This project is open to all and we would encourage people who would like to be involved in the project or help us tell the story of area to contact us at Glór na Móna on 0290234442 or email us on feargal@glornamona.com.
For further details, contact Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh, 07841101630, or feargal@glornamona.com
