The ISACS Network, in partnership with the Irish Showmen’s Guild, the University of Galway and Archives Ireland, are delighted to have been awarded funding through the Heritage Council – Community Heritage Grant, to start work on a joint project: ‘Towards a National Circus and Fairground Archive’.
This project has been an ambition of ours for some time now, so we are thrilled to be working together with these great partners and taking the first small steps towards identifying what a national archive for the community could look like.’ Says Lucy Medlycott, Director of ISACS.
The first step is mapping the key materials in existence and scoping if there is a need to establish an archive with these communities. We will start by identifying what is out there, with a view to writing a report about what an Irish archive for National Circus and Fairgrounds might look like. The aim is to research what is there and where, and acknowledge the custodians’ invaluable work in collecting, keeping and maintaining such treasures at their own expense over the years.
‘We are delighted to support this initiative working towards documenting the unique cultural position that Circus & Fairground holds within Irish Society? Circus Gerbola can trace its ancestry back generations and is proud to be a supporter and key participant in the proposed Circus & Fairground Archive’. Says Tara Gerbola, Director of Circus Gerbola.
We will host an event on 22nd August in Wexford Town Library to share information about the project in person as part of National Heritage Week.
If you have an item /collection that you want us to know about, please get in touch with Lucy Medlycott: director@isacs.ie. Please note that no items will be collected at this time, as at this stage, we are only collating information and mapping what is available.
