Breaking the Silence
Voicing the experience of ‘staying-at-home’
in an emigrant society
An invitation to tell your story of staying in Ireland in the 1940s and 50s so that it can be recorded as part of the history of Ireland in the twentieth century
Much research has been done on the circumstances that provoked so many Irish to emigrate and their experiences on arrival in Britain, America, Australia and elsewhere. In the 1940s and 1950s, when emigration reached its height in the twentieth century, these emigrants were described as the ‘vanishing Irish’ who 'disappeared in silence'. But it is also possible to say that many of those who stayed in these decades did so in silence as they watched family members and friends leave. What effect did the large numbers emigrating have on those who stayed in Ireland, and on wider Irish society in the 1940s and 1950s? In this project we set out to investigate the impact of emigration in the 1940s and 1950s on those who stayed 'at home'. We are looking for people across Ireland who would like to tell their stories of staying in Ireland in these decades. We will interview those interested at their convenience at their own home or any at other suitable location. The interviews will not take more than two hours and will be informal.
We plan to record the stories and then make them available on a world-wide web site in the form of an On Line audio archive. This means that the stories will be available in audio form all around the world to those who access this dedicated website. This database will form a framework for the ongoing development and expansion of the audio archive from decade to decade. We would be delighted to hear from anyone who feels that they have memories of remaining in Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s when many of their friends and family members were leaving. To participate in this project you can express your interest by emailing b.gray@ucc.ie. We will then be in touch to discuss appropriate arrangements.
Irish Centre for Migration Studies
National University of Ireland, Cork
Western Road
Cork
Direct Line: 353 21 903656
Fax: 353 21 903326
Website: http://migration.ucc.ie
