The cultural legacy of PEI’s Irish community will be in the spotlight on Sunday, October 4, when the UPEI Robertson Library and the Benevolent Irish Society of PEI (BIS) co-host a public launch of a digital collection of oral history interviews and lectures. The Benevolent Irish Society Oral History Interviews collection consists of recordings of oral history interviews conducted by student researchers in 1982 and 1983 with elderly Irish residents on PEI. More than 50 hours of audio recordings are now freely available online at https://islandvoices.ca/islandora/object/ivoices:bis-interviews, thanks to a collaboration between the BIS and the Robertson Library, with funding support from the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Program.

The launch will be held at the BIS Irish Cultural Centre, 582 North River Road, Charlottetown, from 2–4 p.m. This event is free, but attendance is limited because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advance registration is required. To register, contact Paula Kenny at 902-629-0340 or kenny_paula@hotmail.com, or submit a message at https://www.benevolentirishsocietyofpei.com/copy-of-home, using “RSVP October launch” in the subject line.