Sligo | 1914-1923
Foróige | my Adopted Soldier
A Digital History Project from Foroige Sligo
Exploring and uncovering the untold stories from 100 years ago
A project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
Project News | October 2019
Many of the Student archives are now published and online, and more will follow in the coming days and weeks.
We have also recruited some Fifth Year students who will be working on their archive for a little longer, and we look forward to seeing their work as they create their leaving cert projects. Please visit our archives page to browse all our stories, and use the Organisation drop-down filter to browse this project - "Foróige Digital History"
and for all the latest information and photos from the project please visit our Blog.
October 2019 |
As our students make the final changes and adjustments to their archives, we would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all involved. The 'my Adopted Soldier' project was promoted and facilitated by Foróige Sligo and funded as part of Sligo Council’s Local Authority Action Plan under the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. Match funding has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.
As expected much of our focus was on the Great War, and the many lives of Sligo people who were caught up in the conflict.
Our students uncovered many stories connected by the War, and many different experiences and outcomes of their individual soldiers. The project also explores the War of Independence and the Easter Rising, looking at the lives of Sligo people during this crucial period of revolution in Ireland's history. Read more...
Browse all published content at myadoptedsolder.com
About the Project
June 2019 |
The Students will explore the history of the region from 1914 - 1923 and how national and international conflicts affected society in Sligo during these turbulent times. Participants will be guided in the use of online resources, encouraged and guided in reaching out to their local communities and will "adopt" individuals from Sligo who lived during this period of history. Their research will culminate in the creation of digital archives for future generations to explore.
Each participant will be allocated a person from the locality who's past has been forgotten. Using Census records, military records, news articles, local historical resources and museums, students will write the history of these unknown locals caught up in historical events from WWI, War of Independence and the Civil War. The project will look at the political and social environment and how local people suffered and survived due to the unrest of the time, and how peace and reconciliation was achieved since 1923. The project will look at how conflict forced many to emigrate around the globe and how the diaspora of Sligo survived on foreign soil. The project will also explore the stories of refugees from Belgium who lived in Sligo, during the war and how these families were welcomed and survived in this region.
Through video/audio interviews with local historians and living descendants, we hope to build a detailed story of the region and of these ‘adopted’ individuals. The group will learn how to use online history resources, genealogy searches, news archives and historical maps. The students will create and publish an online digital archive, which will be viewable around the world and will be added to the official EU digital archive at www.europeana.eu.
With the guidance of local and military historians the project will ensure balanced and accurate accounts of these sensitive events, and hopefully uncover interesting and untold stories of our Sligo ancestors.
Contact us
If you would like to know more about this project, you can contact us at info@myadoptedsoldier.com
and please stay tuned to this webpage for all the latest updates.