The Wood Quay Oral History project, is an ongoing partnership project by the Heritage and Archaeology offices of Dublin City Council, which seeks to record the personal memories and insights of archaeologists who worked on the internationally important excavations which took place at Wood Quay during the 1970s and early 1980s.

The project builds on an earlier phase which focused primarily on the ‘Save Wood Quay’ campaign. Through the project we aim to understand what daily life was like on site, and to fill gaps in our understanding of the pioneering processes of urban archaeology introduced to Ireland during these excavations. We are also looking to deepen our understanding of the ‘Save Wood Quay’ campaign and its impact, as well as understanding the positions of Dublin Corporation, the National Museum of Ireland, and the Department of Local Government.

The project commenced with an online reminiscence event held during National Heritage Week and since then 11 people have been interviewed. The transcription of interviews is ongoing. When completed the digital recordings and transcripts will be deposited with the Dublin City Library and Archive and will inform future research and public exhibition plans. Public reminiscence events will be scheduled when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted fully.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.