Meath County Archive appeal for the public’s help

MEATH County Archive are asking the community to get involved and help them record the history of the Coronavirus in Meath for future generations to come.

We are living in extraordinary times - a moment in history that will be remembered forever.

Just as historians and scientists today have learnt from the contemporary accounts kept during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, we can ensure that the experience of COVID-19 is documented for future researchers.

The Meath County Archive are appealing to the public for help by recording your everyday lived experience in Meath during the pandemic.

They want people to keep a diary, however simple or detailed, anonymous or personal.

This will then be preserved in the archives forever.

No detail is too big or too small. How is the situation affecting you, your friends and family? What is the weather like? Do you have any observations on nature/wildlife? How are you spending each day? What are you eating/cooking? What can you buy or not buy in the shops? What do you miss doing? Are you able to continue with your work/hobbies? How has your schooling or university education been affected?

Anyone can take part from all walks of life and all ages, including children.

Your diary can be in electronic format (for example, a Word document) or hand-written on any type of paper. You can submit photographs of your street/area, or maybe an oral-history recording.

When the time is right the centre will let you know how to submit your diaries to the archives. They will keep you posted through social media and our website.

All diaries will be treated sensitively.

Archives, such as a diary with personal information, are often closed from access for a long period of time. When this period of time elapses, a diary can become a valuable record with a wider significance.

For future generations, it can become an important historical source.