Cuimhneamh an Chláir delves into the archives in new podcast series

Cuimhneamh an Chláir will be dropping its first ever podcast this Friday (October 29th).

Over twelve years of memories and stories collected from Clare’s oldest citizens exist within the oral archive of Cuimhneamh an Chláir and the podcast series will delve into this vast collection.

Funding from the Heritage Council will make the most surprising, interesting, informative and moving of stories recorded available in a permanently accessible manner.

Stories from Chris Droney (Bellharbour), Madeline Killeen (Ennis), Teresa Flynn (Mountshannon), Paddy Malley (Feakle), Pat Flanagan (Doolin) and Joe Tuohy (Scariff) feature in the first episode of the podcast. Three of these storytellers have since passed on but their voices and stories are preserved forever in the invaluable Cuimhneamh an Chláir archive.

Hitherto Cuimhneamh an Chláir shared its material by organising live community events where the stories recorded in an area were brought back to that area.

Producer of the podcast, Paula Carroll explained that this approach has had to change. “The pandemic has made that kind of in-community sharing impossible in the last 18 months. Older people have been isolated in their own homes – the very people who gave us these stories in the first place. Yet the demand is still there. People love hearing stories gathered in their own locality, and people everywhere love a story well told. After all our live events we are always asked ‘Where can I hear more of these stories?’ Well now we’ve got an answer for you”.

“Hundreds of Clare voices have been recorded in the last 12 years by Cuimhneamh an Chláir’s collectors. It was such a pleasure researching this, having all those voices ringing in my ears, and being able to make something permanent with them, that will hopefully bring joy to some,” the Feakle woman added.

The Clare Oral History podcast will be available on all the usual platforms, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Cuimhneamh an Chláir on Facebook (@clarememory) for information on the latest episodes.