Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann

Community collection of Aran folklore available online for the first time

A new website featuring extracts from Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann (the Árainn Folklore Project), a community folklore collection that is more than twenty years a-growing, will be launched this Friday on Árainn (often called Inis Mór), the largest of the three Aran Islands. Partnering on the project are Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, and the National Folklore Collection at UCD, the co-creators of the website dúchas.ie

Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann is the only major collection of island folklore to be created by Inis Mór islanders themselves. Over many years since 2000, Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann has earned support from major figures of the Aran canon including photographer Bill Doyle, writer and cartographer Tim Robinson, and linguist Dr. James Duran. In addition, it has produced two fine books, Árainn: Cosáin an tSaoil (2003) and Ár nOileán: Tuile is Trá (2004).

When Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann was founded, it had two primary objectives: to preserve island folklore for future generations of islanders; and that the island's folklore would be accessible on the island itself. The new website enables islanders to combine those two objectives.

The website includes hundreds of photographs and 102 audio recordings, as well as some videos collected over the past twenty years. All of these are enriched with detailed information, identifying the individuals and places appearing in them. The website's search capacity extends to a variety of elements, and transcriptions written by island women accompany the sound recordings of interviews.

In giving this valuable collection a new digital lease of life, the people of Árainn now have easy, bilingual access to their own heritage from anywhere in the world. Such cultural riches can also impact the huge numbers of tourists visiting Árainn each year.

The island-based project team said

"We are so pleased that people will be able to access the material anytime and anywhere, on an attractive and easy-to-use platform. We are extremely grateful to our partners in Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, and in the National Folklore Collection, UCD; and also to our funders: LEADER, the Heritage Council of Ireland, and the local co-op Comharchumann Forbartha Árann."

The project's digital curator Deirdre Ní Chonghaile said

"Though the entire collection awaits a permanent home at home in Árainn, we remain hopeful its day will come. In the meantime, people will savour and delight in this new resource, which demonstrates so well the faith and creativity of the women who created Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann, attributes that will undoubtedly inspire other communities."

The website will be launched by Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, Director of the National Folklore Collection, in Kilmurvey House in Árainn, Friday January 6th.

https://bba.duchas.ie/en

 

Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann
Justin Ó Gliasáin DCU le Bairbre Uí Chonaill & Áine Uí Fhlaithearta BBÁ

Bailiúchán pobail de bhéaloideas Árann ar fáil ar líne den chéad uair

Ar Nollaig na mBan, seolfar suíomh nua idirlín in Árainn, suíomh a roinnfidh blaiseadh de Bhailiúchán Béaloidis Árann, bailiúchán pobail atá breis agus fiche bliain ag fás. Is iad Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, (DCU), agus Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann (UCD), forbróirí shuíomh dúchas.ie, na comhpháirtithe ar an tionscadal. Is ar Árainn – an t-oileán is mó de thrí Oileán Árann – atá an stór seo dírithe.

Is é Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann an t-aon mhórbhailiúchán de bhéaloideas an oileáin dar chruinnigh na hoileánaigh féin ariamh. In imeacht na mblianta ó 2000 i leith, mheall Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann tacaíocht ó mhórphearsana chanóin Árann ár linne, ina measc an grianghrafadóir Bill Doyle, an scríbhneoir Tim Robinson, agus an teangeolaí, an Dr. Séamas Ó Direáin. Freisin, foilsíodh leabhair bhreátha, Árainn: Cosáin an tSaoil (2003) agus Ár nOileán: Tuile is Trá (2004).

Bunaíodh Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann le dhá mhórsprioc: go gcaomhnófaí béaloideas an oileáin don chéad ghlúin eile; agus go mbeadh teacht ar ábhar béaloidis an oileáin san oileán féin. Anois, déanfaidh an suíomh nua idirlín an dá mhórsprioc seo a chónascadh.

Tá na céadta grianghraf agus 102 taifeadadh fuaime ar an suíomh, chomh maith le roinnt físeán a bailíodh le scór bliain anuas. Tá saineolas á roinnt leo seo ar fad, ag cur ainm leis na daoine a fheictear sna grianghrafanna agus ag tagairt d’ionaid agus do logainmneacha. Is féidir mionchuardach a dhéanamh ar ghnéithe éagsúla. Tá tras-scríbhinní a chruthaigh mná an oileáin féin ag dul leis na hagallaimh éagsúla.

Agus saol úr digiteach á cheapadh don bhailiúchán luachmhar seo, beidh pobal Árann ar fud na cruinne in ann teacht go héasca agus go dátheangach ar a n-oidhreacht fhéin. Ní hamháin sin, rachfaidh saíocht dá leithéid i gcion ar an líon ollmhór turasóirí a thugann cuairt ar Árainn gach bliain.

Dúirt foireann oileánda an tionscadail

"Táimid iontach sásta go mbeidh teacht ag daoine ar an ábhar am ar bith agus in áit ar bith, ar ardán slachtmhar ar furasta é a úsáid. Táimid an-bhuíoch dár gcomhpháirtithe in Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, agus i gCnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, UCD; agus freisin don lucht maoinithe: LEADER, an Chomhairle Oidhreachta, agus Comharchumann Forbartha Árann."

Dúirt an coimeádaí digiteach ar an tionscadal, Deirdre Ní Chonghaile

"Cé nach bhfuil baile buan oileánda ag an mbun-bhailiúchán féin go fóill, maireann dóchas go dtiocfaidh a lá. Idir an dá linn, is cinnte go mbainfidh daoine go leor tairbhe agus taitneamh as an acmhainn nua seo agus go spreagfaidh dílseacht agus cruthaitheacht na mban a cheap Bailiúchán Béaloidis Árann pobail eile."

Beidh an suíomh idirlín á sheoladh ag an Dr. Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, Stiúrthóir Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, in Kilmurvey House in Árainn 2.30-4.00in Dé hAoine 6 Eanáir.

https://bba.duchas.ie/en