Come Here To Me!

‘Remembering 1916,Recording 2016’ – Certificate presented to Come Here to Me, 13 December 2016.

Yesterday, we were honoured to be announced as a winner in the National Library of Ireland’s ‘Remembering 1916, Recording 2016’ competition. Ten websites were selected for archiving, with five coming from historically focused websites and five contemporary outlets.

That these websites were chosen by the public is particularly humbling. Since 2009, we have slowly but surely built a readership and an engaged following, with thousands of people connecting with us across various social media outlets and here on the blog itself. We are eternally grateful to those who read the website, buy our books and attend our charity fundraising nights.

In truth, a blog like CHTM could not exist without institutions like the National Library of Ireland. In recent years, we have been lucky to work with the NLI in both personal and collective capacities, and the enthusiasm of their team for public outreach should be noted and commended. They, and other cultural institutions like the National Archives of Ireland and the Dublin City Library and Archive, have continued to do remarkable work in digitisising and sharing their collections, often against a harsh economic climate of cutbacks. We are incredibly fortunate to have resources like the 1901 and 1911 censuses, the Bureau of Military History Witness Statements, and the digitised personal papers of the 1916 signatories available to consult for free online. In many other countries, these materials would no doubt be behind paywalls.

The award certificates were presented by Heather Humphreys, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. While much good was done at national and local level by government agencies during the centenary year, we feel the most significant contributions to the centenary were made at community level. From Ringsend to Stoneybatter, and from Ballyfermot to Rathmines, it was the people of the city who took the leading role in this centenary, and who likewise refused to dilute the Rising of its radical and egalitarian principles. We also wish to state our continued support for the campaign to Save Moore Street, which has been truly inspiring.

Once again, we thank all readers of the blog.