The conflict in Northern Ireland over the last 35 years has generated a vast body of qualitative material such as interviews, video and audio recordings, photographs etc. that can be utilised to address the issues of violence and reconciliation. Effective use of the bulk of this material, however, has been thwarted by its wide dispersion, much of it located outside Northern Ireland, and the lack of any central index or cataloguing system. The situation has been that some people may know quite a bit about some of the material but no one has a comprehensive overview of it all. This project centres on the collation of information about qualitative material covering the 35 year span of 'the Troubles' in NI (content, availability, recording format etc.) into a single catalogue.

The existence of the catalogue means that anyone - from academic researchers and documentary film makers to secondary school students and interested members of the general public - will be able to discover quickly the scope of qualitative material on the Northern Ireland 'Troubles' that is held in archives and collections and will know how to go about viewing or obtaining access to the material. The catalogue takes the form of an online searchable database.

The existence of the catalogue and its associated archived material will be a valuable resource for researchers and commentators on 'the Troubles' and will help commemorate the experience of the people of Northern Ireland who have lived through the conflict.

CAIN intends to revise the existing catalogue periodically to keep it up to date and to log in new qualitative material that is generated by researchers and others as it becomes known to us. If you possess or know of material that potentially should be included in the catalogue or that is ‘at risk’ of being lost forever if it is not archived, we would be grateful if you would contact ARK. You can send us the details of the material by filling in a short form that can be accessed by clicking here.