Surfing the Landscape

The Folding Landscape Archive of books, offprints, letters and notes built up during years of research both on the ground, in libraries and through correspondence with experts in many fields, and still expanding, must ultimately be made accessible to other enquirers. A central part of it is a collection on record cards of some 8,000 placenames with associated historical, archaeological, folkloric and bibliographic data.

It is proposed to ensure the preservation of this data base by publication on CD ROM for Apple Mac and PC. An innovative project, Surfing the Landscape uses the Filemaker Pro programme, enabling the user to access this rich placelore at the click of a mouse. Each place will be located on a map and the pronunciation of its name recorded. Photographs of many buildings, archaeological sites, etc., will be included.

The placenames of Connemara are now being prepared in this format, and it is intended that a similar publication on the Aran Islands will follow. We hope to publish the CD ROM covering Roundstone Parish next year. A sample of 80 records relating to, or mentioning Inis Ní island is available on this site.