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2008 Irish Studies Symposium: Library and Archives Canada Celebrates Canadians' Irish Roots

For immediate release

OTTAWA, November 3, 2008-Library and Archives Canada, with the support of the National Archives of Ireland, is proud to present the 2008 Irish Studies Symposium. The symposium is open to the public and will be held on November 3 and 4 at 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario.

Following on the success of the 2006 symposium and to address growing interest in the field of Irish-Canadian studies, the 2008 Irish Studies Symposium brings together historians, students, genealogists and researchers in an open dialogue to explore Irish-Canadian documentary heritage.

"The Irish Studies Symposium celebrates and highlights Library and Archives Canada's continuing partnership with the National Archives of Ireland," said Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. "With up to one fifth of Canadians claiming Irish heritage, Library and Archives Canada is committed to assisting Canadians in understanding their collective history."

The 2008 Irish Studies Symposium is part of a number of activities this fall to celebrate Irish-Canadian documentary heritage, including the continuing Dubliners exhibition, featuring photographs from the National Library of Ireland, as well as Library and Archives Canada's inaugural Flickr/YouTube Project, sharing a selection of Irish-Canadian images and videos on Flickr and YouTube, two popular online media sharing communities.

The flagship project of the National Archives of Ireland and Library and Archives Canada partnership is the online presentation of both the 1911 and 1901 censuses of Ireland. Both censuses will be available free of charge via the National Archives of Ireland website and feature digitized images of the census returns, fully searchable by name.

The first release was the county of Dublin in 1911, which was made available online in December 2007. The next release in the coming weeks will feature the Irish counties of Antrim, Down and Kerry, 1911. The remainder of the 1911 census and the 1901 census will follow over the coming months. Digitized records can be viewed at: www.census.nationalarchives.ie.

The symposium will feature presentations on the 1911 census of Ireland, demonstrating how this information can be explored and used in a variety of ways, as well as presentations on the following topics: The Irish in Québec, Famine and Commemoration, Politics, Irish Culture, Irish History and Modern Media.

For more information on all activities please see the attached poster or visit:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ireland/index-e.html

For the 2008 Irish Studies Symposium program, visit:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ireland/033001-1001-e.html

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For more information, please contact:

Isabelle Gaudreau
Media Relations Officer
Library and Archives Canada
819-934-5787