Listening to Mayo: Recorded Voices Across Time

Join the County Mayo Heritage Office and Mac Conmara Heritage for a unique Heritage Week listening event celebrating the remarkable oral heritage of County Mayo.

Drawing on the findings of the Mayo Oral Heritage Collections Audit (2024–2026), this special presentation will explore more than half a century of oral history collecting across the county. Through carefully selected recordings, the event will trace the evolution of oral heritage recording in Mayo, from some of the earliest community and folklore recordings to contemporary oral history projects.

Alongside the recordings, the presentation will provide an overview of the Mayo Oral Heritage Collections Audit, highlighting:

· the history of oral heritage collecting in County Mayo
· the principal collections identified during the county-wide survey
· the changing methods and technologies used to record oral history
· the importance of professional cataloguing, digitisation and long-term preservation
· the future vision for developing a coordinated Mayo Oral Heritage Collection.