“I REMEMBER…/IS CUIMHIN LIOM…”
Waterford City and County Libraries
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I Remember; The current pandemic and lockdown is a historic event that will become part of the story of our lives in the future. However, older people have lived through many significant events, some of which have changed the course of their lives. It is this lifetime of experience that we would love older people to share as part of Waterford’s celebration of Bealtaine.
Usually, in May every year, Waterford participates in the Bealtaine festival organised by Age and Opportunity but, of course, we cannot gather people together for events as usual in the face of a pandemic. However, we can still celebrate our older people and mark their achievements and life experiences. While many might be cocooning, they can contribute to their local communities with their experiences and help people to appreciate that this too will pass. In the wealth of their experience lies a bedrock of strength and resilience that we can build on and ensure that ‘Together Waterford is Stronger’.
We are asking older people to share their memories of significant events in their lives, how they coped with them and how they were affected – they can be events of huge historical significance or small local changes that impacted them. For example, Do You Remember?:
- You or a family member spending time in isolation due to TB
- Being affected by polio, scarlatina or other outbreak of disease
- Getting access to a banned book
- Petrol rationing and/or public transport strikes
- Abbeyside, Dungarvan born Dr. Ernest Walton winning the Nobel Prize in 1951
- The emigration of a friend or family member
- The Emergency and rationing during World War II and how it impacted on you and your family
We would love to find out what events were significant to your life.
We have lots of ways you can share your significant event with the community. We understand that it can be difficult to get to the post or, get into technology but thanks to the wonderful Call to Chat service of the Waterford Older Peoples’ Council, run in collaboration with Waterford City and County Libraries, you can simply pick up the phone.
Here are the ways you can share your Story:
- Call 0761 102020 and ask for Call to Chat
- Post a written account of your story to City Hall, The Mall, Waterford or the Civic Offices, Davitt’s Quay, Dungarvan. Please mark the envelope “I Remember” Project
- E-mail archivist@waterfordcouncil.ie
- Share to Twitter or Facebook with the #TogetherWaterfordisStronger tagging @WaterfordCounci or @WaterfordLibs on Twitter and Waterford Council or Waterford City and County Libraries on Facebook
Bealtaine is about creativity in older people, so you can share your memory in words, by sharing a photograph or by creating your own piece of work. We would love to gather your memories and share them with the wider Waterford community throughout the month of May, so that we can build from your experiences and come together to celebrate your strength and resilience. Together Waterford is Stronger and you can play your part in building up that strength.
