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In February 2020, the Irish Research Council (IRC) and the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) issued a call for network proposals as part of its ‘UK-Ireland Collaboration in Digital Humanities’ programme. The universities of Exeter, Galway, Glasgow and London, University College Cork, King’s College London and Trinity College Dublin partnered to develop one such proposal, for a network which would undertake research and consultation vital to the implementation of a permanent Digital Humanities Association for the UK and Ireland. Building on existing research conducted by the partner institutions, and on established partnerships and collaborations, it brought together different stakeholders to consider and interrogate critically the concepts of sustainability, inclusivity, training, advocacy and career progression, among other key questions. Institutions and individuals across the UK and Ireland were consulted to propose ways in which the two countries could build a collaborative vision for the field, and create new and sustainable long-term partnerships in alignment with the international community. The overarching goal of the network was to develop a framework for a new Association which would nurture the capacity for excellent research and teaching in DH, establish and sustain more effective connections with sectors outside higher education (notably Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs) and the creative industries) and create new pathways for collaboration. The network culminated in the publication of a three-year roadmap for the establishment and consolidation of a UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association, which will be shaped in ongoing dialogue with digital researchers and practitioners located across the two countries, in industry, education and the cultural heritage sectors. This panel will explore the processes of establishing an evidence base for the development of a new DH Association, of building - and building on - community through consultation, of defining value and purpose through collaboration, and of practising openness which is both radical and responsible. Presentations will discuss: the landscape of DH in the UK and Ireland; the development of a values-led organisation; community, consultation and inclusivity; the importance of advocacy for DH and the role of a DH Association in national policy-making; and the centrality of training and the development of career pathways in and from DH. A concluding presentation will reflect on the value of international collaboration, both between Ireland and the UK and among international subject associations and infrastructures.

The FAIR Principles are the foundation of data management for present-day researchers in any discipline. However, the application of these principles is relatively new and as archaeologists we often rely on data created prior to their implementation. Reusing such data poses a number of obstacles that can be time-consuming and difficult to tackle. However, particularly in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reuse of data has come to the forefront as an approach researchers can use to mitigate or substitute for data that is inaccessible either temporarily or permanently. While challenges such as the interoperability, standardisation and original purpose of such data continue to exist, the opportunities presented to us by the reuse of data are becoming increasingly clear. Using the construction of an Irish bog butter database as a case study, this presentation will explore why I chose to reuse data; the challenges associated with this; and the opportunities this has presented. It will also look at how applying modern techniques to old data can create new knowledge and revolutionise our understanding of previously poorly understood phenomena – how we can make old data new again.

Artist Brian Fay talks about the role that research plays in his drawing based practice.

Artist Brian Fay talks about the role that research plays in his drawing based practice.

Digital cultural heritage objects can benefit greatly from the application of Artificial Intelligence such as computer vision based tools to automatically extract valuable information from them. Novel methods and technologies have been used in the last few years to perform image classification, object detection, caption generation, and other techniques on different types of digital objects from different disciplines. In this pilot study, carried out in the context of the Digital Humanities project ChIA, we present an approach for testing different commercial (Clarifai, IBM Watson, Microsoft Cognitive Services, Google Cloud Vision) and open-source (YOLO) computer vision (CV) tools on a set of selected cultural food images from the Europeana collection with regard to producing relevant concepts. The project generally aims at improving access to implicit cultural knowledge contained in images, and increase analysis possibilities for scientific research as well as for content providers and educational purposes. Preliminary results showed that not only quantitative output results are important, but also the quality of concepts generated. Types of digital objects can pose a challenge to CV solutions.

The International Spatial Humanities Sprint Camp (iSHCamp) ran from 24-26th October 2019. It took an approach that could best be described as a 'hybrid' between the Flipped Training School model (whereby there is some element of self-directed learning before a main collaborative event) and a Hackathon. This poster presentation discusses the practicalities of putting together a live training event such as this, and what lessons were learned in the process. It was intended and prepared as a poster demonstration, and following a necessary re-format due to the move of DHBenelux to an online event, was presented in a short talk during the conference. This package therefore contains both the poster and the presentation slides. The iSHCamp Event was funded through an Irish Research Council 'New Foundations' grant (2018 call).

This paper investigates how many cemeteries have overturned their original function and negative association as sites of death and mourning to be transformed into multi-disciplinary spaces which provide visitors with a meaningful experience.

In a rapidly changing environment the survival of the food service industry and the food retail markets depend to a large extent on their capacity to develop and market new or radically improved products. The identified product development tends provide insight into the new and novel food products available to facilitate the growing demands of the food industry in Ireland and the ever-changing fashions in food requirements world-wide.

This exhibition has been produced by DIT staff, namely James Burke, David Casey, Rebecca de But, Yvonne Desmond, Fiona Farrell, Brian Widdis (DIT Library Services) and Des Kernan (DIT Kevin Street). Website design and layout is by Fiachra Mangan (DIT Library Services). The reading of the Nic Shiubhlaigh letter is by Elaine Doherty (DIT Library Services).