Original Acknowledgements for A Directory of Sources for Women’s History in Ireland, 1999.

The Women's History Association of Ireland undertook the organisation of the Women’s History Project in September 1997. We would like to record our thanks to the WHAI and to the committee of the Women’s History Project which has carefully nurtured the work undertaken by staff on the Project. Funding provided by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands made the Women’s History Project possible. We would like to thank the Minister, Síle de Valera T.D., for her support. Special thanks must also go to Brigid MacManus, Conor O’Malley, Joe Meleady and Bernie O’Connor of the department. The Women’s History Project has received much support from the Irish Manuscripts Commission, particularly from Professor Geoffrey Hand, chairman of the Commission, and Professors Mary Daly and Declan Kiberd. Margaret Clancy, secretary to the Commission, has provided assistance in a number of ways and we are grateful to her for that.

Staff of the Women’s History Project visited over 300 repositories in order to collect the information which is found in the Directory. The work could not have been accomplished without the advice, assistance, hospitality and support received from archivists, curators, librarians and private individuals all over the country. We are indebted to literally hundreds of people. The interest expressed in our work was heartening and the professionalism of the individuals who provided us with information and access to their holdings was enlightening. We have acknowledged particular individuals within the repository details provided in the Directory. Our apologies if we have left out any one but we hope you will view it as an oversight rather than any lack of regard or appreciation for the help provided to us. Over and above the individuals named in the Directory we have also received advice from a number of archivists, particularly, Marianne Cosgrave, Grainne Doran, Mary Fitzpatrick, Rena Lohan and Joanne Rothwell. Helen O’Halloran and Frances Wrafter provided us with vital secretarial backup when we were beginning to feel overwhelmed by the amount of material that had to be entered onto the database.

We would like to thank the curators and librarians of the various repositories we have visited for their assistance. We wish to express our thanks to Mr Brendan O’Donoghue, Director of the National Library of Ireland, and to the staff of the Library, particularly Dr. Marie Coleman, Dr. Noel Kissane, Dr. Eilis Ni Dhuibhne and Collette O’Flaherty. We are also grateful for the help provided by the Director of the National Archives of Ireland, Dr. David Craig, and his staff, especially Caitriona Crowe, Brian Donnelly, Aideen Ireland and Tom Quinlan. Within the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland our work was assisted and supported by the former Deputy Keeper of the Records, Dr. Anthony Malcomson, Dr. David Lammey and Aileen McClintock. We wish to express our gratitude to the School of Modern History at Queen’s University, Belfast, for providing our staff with office facilities and a base from which to work. We would also like to express our appreciation to the School of Electronic and Communications Engineering of the Dublin Institute of Technology for creating and maintaining this website.

Maria Luddy
Director, Women's History Project

The staff of the Women’s History Project, who compiled the original Directory, were Dr Catherine Cox, Dr Leeann Lane, and Professor Diane Urquhart. Assistance was also provided by Dr Jean Agnew, Sarah Costley, Dr Orla Fitzpatrick and Rosemary Raughter.