THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY IS IRELAND'S LEADING BODY OF EXPERTS IN THE SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann champions research. We identify and recognise Ireland’s world class researchers. We support scholarship and promote awareness of how science and the humanities enrich our lives and benefit society. We believe that good research needs to be promoted, sustained and communicated. The Academy is run by a Council of its members. Membership is by election and considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.

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Irish History Online Project Reports

A series of reports relating to progress and various milestones of Irish History Online.

Summary report 2022

We were delighted to welcome the IHO volunteers back onsite in Academy House May 2022, after nearly a two year suspension due to Covid19 restrictions. Since then they have been working their way through the backlog of material to be entered into the IHO database. To help keep this process consistent and concise, we have created the relevant forms to enable authors, academics, historians and researchers to submit their own bibliographic information. The forms can be accessed here  

The IHO volunteer compilers in 2022 are Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad and Brendan Hannon. The editor is Meadhbh Murphy. RIA Deputy Librarian. The convenor is Jacqueline Hill, MRIA. If you would like to become a volunteer, please send us an email at iho@ria.ie 

Summary report 2021

Existing data on the Irish History Online database continues to be freely searchable online. On 1 January 2021 there were 110,751 entries on the online database.

Inputting of new bibliographic data is currently suspended because of library closures in line with government policy (Covid19 pandemic). We anticipate that there will be very few additions to the database in the first half of 2021. A delay in listing recent publications is unavoidable.

The IHO volunteer compilers in 2021 are Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad, Brendan Hannon and Pádraicín Ní Mhurchú. The editor until June 2021 is Bernadette Cunningham (RIA Library). The convenor is Jacqueline Hill, MRIA.

Summary report 2020

A total of 1,263 new records was added to the IHO database during 2020. Many of these related to books or articles published in 2019 or 2018. In addition, 3,690 older records in the database were upgraded during 2020. We worked on the database from January to mid-March 2020 entering new data on recently published books and articles, and upgrading older records. Work was suspended from mid-March 2020 for most of the year because of library closures in line with government policy (Covid19 pandemic). Existing data continued to be searchable online.

On 31 December 2020 there was a total of 110,751 searchable records on the online database.

The IHO volunteer compilers in 2020 were Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad, Brendan Hannon and Pádraicín Ní Mhurchú. The editor was Bernadette Cunningham (RIA). The convenor was Jacqueline Hill, MRIA.

Summary report 2019

A total of 4,551 new items was added to the database during 2019. These included 1,962 articles in journals, 956 chapters in books, 680 monographs and collective volumes, and 945 theses. The first phase of a project to add data on doctoral theses on Irish historical topics completed in British universities was undertaken by Dr Ciaran McCabe in Oct-Nov 2019. Konstantin Ermolin (RIA) continued to add retrospective data on doctoral theses completed in Irish universities since the 1930s.

On 31 December 2019 there was a total of 109,488 searchable records on the online database.

The IHO volunteer compilers in 2019 were Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad and Brendan Hannon. The editor is Bernadette Cunningham. The convenor is Professor Jacqueline Hill, MRIA.

Summary report 2018

Work continued in 2018 entering new data on recently published books and articles. Work also proceeded on inputting data on unpublished theses completed in the period 1980 to 2010, and previously listed in Irish Historical Studies. New data for doctoral theses completed since 2010 were input from those history departments in Ireland and Northern Ireland who responded to requests to supply the relevant bibliographic data.

In total, 4,066 items were added to the IHO bibliography during 2018. These included 1,857 articles in journals, 496 monographs, 977 articles/chapters in collective volumes, and 731 theses.

The IHO volunteer compilers in 2018 were Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad, Pádraicín Ní Mhurchú, Ciarán McCabe and Bernadette Cunningham. Thesis data was compiled by Ciaran McCabe and entered by Konstantin Ermolin. A student assistant, Cathal Digan, sponsored by Maynooth University's SPUR scheme, worked on the project in summer 2018. The convenor was Professor Jacqueline Hill. 

Summary report 2017

A major milestone has been reached in autumn 2017, with the database exceeding 100,000 entries for the first time. Some 3,727 new records were input to the IHO database during 2017. These included 1,936 articles in journals, 475 monographs or collective volumes, 945 articles/chapters in collective volumes, and 329 theses. Of these additions to the database in 2017, some 1,788 items were published in the years 2016-2017, and a further 516 items were published in 2014-2015. Retrospective work continued and 1,364 items issued before 2014 were also added, of which 329 were theses.

The IHO compilers in 2017 were Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad, Pádraicín Ní Mhurchú, Ciarán McCabe and Bernadette Cunningham. Two student assistants, James Cunningham and Ella Kelly, sponsored by Maynooth University’s SPUR scheme, worked on the project in summer 2017.

Summary report 2016

A total of 3,565 new records were input to the IHO database during 2016. These included 1,960 articles in journals, 564 monographs or collective volumes and 1,034 articles/chapters in collective volumes. Of these additions to the database in 2016, some 1,688 items were published in the years 2015-2016, and a further 644 items were published in 2013-2014. Retrospective work continued and 1,168 items published before 2013 were also added.

The IHO compilers in 2016 were Máirín Cassidy, Eoin Bairéad, Pádraicín Ní Mhurchú, Ciarán McCabe, Sinéad Noonan and Bernadette Cunningham. Brendan Hannon worked on the project in summer 2016, funded by the SPUR scheme of the Department of History, Maynooth University.

Summary report 2015

A total of 2,596 new records were input to the IHO database during 2015. These included 1,517 articles in journals, 430 monographs or collective volumes and 645 articles/chapters in collective volumes. Of this total input, 1,726 items were published in the years 2012-2015. Retrospective work continued, and 693 items published between 2000 and 2011 were added. The compilers in 2015 were Máirín Cassidy (journals), and Ciarán McCabe and Bernadette Cunningham (books). Seán Kennedy worked on the project for six weeks in summer 2015, funded by Department of History, Maynooth University. Rose O'Connor worked as a volunteer assistant on the project Oct-Dec 2015.

An essay on the history of historical bibliographies in Ireland: Bernadette Cunningham, 'Historical bibliography in a divided Ireland', has been published in the proceedings of the fifth international conference on European historical bibliographies. Historical Bibliography as an Essential Source for Historiography is edited by Kristina Rexová (Prague), et al. (Newcastle-on-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015). 

Summary report 2014

A total of 4,456 new records were input to the IHO database during 2014. These included 3,256 articles in journals, 583 monographs or collective volumes and 617 articles/chapters in collective volumes. Of this total input, 2,072 items were published in the years 2011-2014. Work continued on enhancing the retrospective coverage by adding 1,647 items published in the years 2000-2010. The remaining new additions were published pre-2000. The compilers in 2014 were Máirín Cassidy (journals), and Ciarán McCabe and Bernadette Cunningham (books). Rose O'Connor and Zoe Rogers worked on the project for eight weeks in summer 2014, funded by Department of History, Maynooth University.

Summary report 2013

A total of 4,313 new items (2,007 articles in journals, 1,261 monographs, 1,045 articles in books) were added to the Irish History Online database during 2013. Of the new items added in 2013, some 910 were published in 2013, and a further 1,513 were published in 2011-2012. The work was undertaken by Máirín Cassidy, Bernadette Cunningham, Nessa Malone, Ciarán McCabe and Ciaran Nicholson.
As part of a special retrospective project in June-July 2013 in collaboration with the Representative Church Body Library, almost 500 books and pamphlets relating to the history of the Church of Ireland were added to the Irish History Online database. This special project was completed by Conor Heffernan in association with Bernadette Cunningham (RIA Library) and Raymond Refaussé (RCB Library).

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