Lord Mayor of Cork launches digital and printed collections of IHTA Cork/Corcaigh
Cllr Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork City launched Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 31 Cork/Corcaigh, the enhanced Digital Atlas of Cork/Corcaigh and the collection now available on the Digital Repository of Ireland in the Royal Irish Academy.
The historical atlas of Cork, both printed and digital collections, which explores the city from its origins in c. 625 AD to the present, was launched today by Cllr Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork City in the Royal Irish Academy on 21 November 2024. This event marks the culmination of many years of research and collaboration by the Irish Historic Towns Atlas (IHTA) and published by the Royal Irish Academy. It brings together the print, digital, learning resources and preservation elements of IHTA Cork research where displays and digital demonstrations were available for those present in an immersive experience. The event also marked the launch of Irish Historic Towns Atlas collections in the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI). The audience were treated to displays and digital demonstrations for the various elements of Cork/Corcaigh by Howard Clarke and Máire Ní Laoi.
The President of the Royal Irish Academy, Pat Guiry, welcomed everyone ahead of the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle who welcomed the extended Cork resources in better understanding the history and development of Cork.
Chair of the IHTA Editorial Board, Michael Potterton placed Cork on a comparative regional, national and international scale and Managing Editor of the IHTA, Sarah Gearty emphasised the new digital resources now available on the Digital Repository of Ireland.
Co-author, Howard Clarke, MRIA delivered his own ‘highlights’ from carrying out the research on Cork for over a decade. He focused on the nuanced development and relationship with the monastic settlement at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral site, the beautiful map from c. 1601 in the Hardiman Collection of Trinity College (below), the rediscovered 1690 Dutch map by Wolfgang Romer and from the 1842 Ordnance Survey manuscript town plan. He also picked out features on Butt’s view of Cork from Audley Place and Fitzgerald’s painting of Elizabeth Fort and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral and on an early Lawrence photograph of St Patrick’s Street.
Rachel Murphy was on hand to give demonstrations on how to interrogate the Digital Atlas of Cork/Corcaigh with 6,245 themed sites, historic maps layers and video tutorials. Noelia Romero explained how the IHTA Cork data can be used via the Digital repository of Ireland.
We are delighted to work with the IHTA to provide access and long-term digital preservation for the Digital Atlas of Cork data set. It provides huge insights into the development of Cork City and can be used by researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to produce further insights on the city
Lisa Griffith, Director, Digital Repository of Ireland
Links
You can find out more about all elements of the Cork printed and digital collections:
Irish Historic Towns Atlas no. 31 Cork/Corcaigh by Howard Clarke and Máire Ní Laoi
Digital Atlas of Cork/Corcaigh
Digital Repository of Ireland: IHTA Collections
Video tutorials on the Digital Atlas of Cork/Corcaigh
We are grateful to our partners of IHTA Cork. The Royal Irish Academy, Cork City Council, Tailte Eireann, Digital Repository of Ireland and the Heritage Council all played significant roles in the production.
