Page 34 - Garda Journal Summer 2019

Dr Sandra Collins, DRI and Dr. Natalie Harrower Creative Lead, Inspiring Ireland accepting awards from former Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Ireland's e-government awards four years ago.
(exhibitions, lectures, seminars, and so on). The physical RDFA archive, which is comprised of personal papers from those who served during World War I, was passed over to the Dublin City Library & Archive in 2005 and can be viewed in the Reading Room. The online collection features diary entries, minutes for committee meetings, letter correspondence, and much more.
EXCAVATIONS AT KNOWTH: CREATED BY THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY, 2018
On the 18th of June 1962, a more than 40 year long archaeological excavation began at a tomb cemetery in Knowth, Co. Meath. Unsurprisingly, such a prolonged project resulted in the monument complex being widely excavated. Ongoing exploration at this multi- functional and multi-period archaeological complex includes multiple forms of surveying (topographical, magnetometer, electric resistance) and geological investigations.
The Royal Irish Academy has brought Knowth research findings into public domain by publishing the Excavations at Knowth series. There are six volumes in the series, the first being published in 1984 on the topic of Knowth prehistoric activity. Volume 2 followed those prehistoric excavations made after 1989. Animal bone assemblage made up Volume 3, and Volume 4 highlighted both the historical significance of Knowth and the ancient Brú na Bóinne (of which Knowth is a part). Volume 5 served to showcase the first and second millennia AD artefacts founded at the heritage site. The passage tomb builders responsible for the Knowth Great Mound were the central focus of volume 6, and megalithic art will be featured in the forthcoming volume 7.
This DRI collection has made it possible for these Excavations at Knowth research volumes to be a
digitised, open-access resource for the public. Current and future archaeologists can now easily follow the progress made from the excavations. The excavation archive is currently being digitised and will be added to the collection when it is completed. It includes original excavation reports and the specialised research that has served as the publishing backbone of this study.
WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES OF LABIAPLASTY: CREATED BY TINA BEDENIK, 2013-2017 University College Dublin (UCD) conducted a doctoral research project titled “Sisters are Doin’ it for Themselves: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Experience of Labiaplasty” from 2013 to 2017. Receiving its funding from the Irish Research Council Government of Ireland 2015 Postgraduate Scholarship, the study aimed to get a holistic view of women’s experiences with labiaplasty. This procedure is new to the medical field and alters the appearance of a woman’s labia to alleviate discomfort with exercise, clothing and intercourse.
The project investigated both women’s motivating factors for the procedure and the social, psychological and sexual outcomes they experienced after the operation by utilising feminist and social- psychological theories. It also employed a qualitative phenomenological approach, meaning that it focused on lived experience. The DRI collection includes five in-depth interviews with adult women who had the procedure in the UK or South America during the time span of 2012 and 2016
In 2015 the Digital Repository of Ireland was Overall Winner at Ireland’s E-Government Awards with its ‘Inspiring Ireland’ project, picking up three awards: ‘Promoting Ireland Overseas’, ‘Open Source’, and ‘Overall Winner’.
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FEATURE | Digital Repository of Ireland