The North Strand Oral History Project is an initiative of Dublin City Archives, and aims to collect and preserve eyewitness accounts of the night of 30-31 May 1941, when four high explosive bombs were dropped by German aircraft on the North Strand killing 28 people, and injuring many more. Part 1 of the project was launched on 2009 and consisted of eight in-depth interview, which were carried out with Dubliners, about their experiences of the bombing. In 2010 seven additional interviews were carried by Marc Redmond on behalf of Dublin City Archives. The transcriptions and audio recordings are available to researchers at Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse street, Dublin 2 and also can be downloaded from www.northstrandbombing.ie The oral history project has enriched our understanding of the North Strand bombing and will ensure that the experiences of those living in the North Strand in 1941 will never be forgotten. Our Dublin of today is very much a product of past experiences and the project ensures that these important memories will be preserved at Dublin City Library and Archive, and accessible to historians and future generations to come. Individuals interested in participating in the project are asked to contact Dublin City Archives at cityarchives@dublincity.ie or 01 674 4848. Alternatively individuals can add their story directly to the “North Strand Bombing Reminiscences” website using the online form, and also read the memories of other contributors.
Transcripts
Transcriptions (of audio recordings) were carried out by Ellen Murphy, Andrew O’Brien and Elizabeth Kane, Marc Redmond and Gillian Colton using the transcription guidelines in “Collecting and Preserving Folklore and Oral History: Basic Techniques” (Galway County Council, 2006). As far as possible the interviews have been transcribed without editing – so grammatical errors, and repetition of words and sentences have been included. Filler expressions such as ‘um’, ‘ah’ have been omitted and laughter and silence have been indicated as (laughs), and (pause). Notes inserted during editing of transcripts are recorded in square brackets [].
Further Information
Dublin City Archives, 138-144 Pearse street, Dublin 2 cityarchives@dublincity. 01-6474997/6744848