Climate Change Recording – Co. Donegal 

Funded by Our Rural Future Digital Innovation Programme
Funding awarded: €12,800

Contact details:
Donegal County Council
E: info@donegalcoco.ie
P: 074 91 53900

Who: County Donegal is located in the most northern and western region of Ireland. The fourth largest county, it is one of the most sparsely inhabited with a population of 167,000 recorded in the 2022 census. Much of the county is rural and dependent on collective remembering for community sustenance. Donegal County Council are engaged in a novel initiative drawing on collective remembering to digitally document their climate change perspective. Older generations will have an opportunity to share their experience of the local Donegal climate. Their stories and images of climate change, both observed and experienced, will be collected.  

Objectives to:

• Create a digital collection of oral and visual accounts of climate change events 
• Enable older generations to share their memories relevant to climate change with others in their municipality 
• Document personal stories as data to better inform evidence-based actions for Donegal Climate Adaptation Strategy  
• Support regional digital development  
• Enhance the role of culture and creativity for public engagement with climate change and climate action 

What: A remarkable showcase, this digital collection records the impacts of climate change, via the lens of older generation’s oral accounts and photographs/ video reels. The Donegal Public Participation Network and Youth Council are responsible for developing the digital aspects of the project as needed. Information collected through this project will support the delivery of Donegal’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.  

Why: Donegal’s temperate maritime climate is at risk due to the impacts of climate change. By creating a record of the community’s experiences of climate change, a greater understanding of its effects can be recorded as data to better inform long-term analyses and predictions. Establishing databases with records of local impacts can potentially benchmark climate change against modern events, and will assist in delivering and evaluating the Donegal Climate Adaptation Strategy.  

Scale: N/A 

Technologies: Digital repositories, Website technology, standard audio recording and videography techniques 

Impact and Lessons Learned:  

Digitalising intergenerational remembering is a particularly powerful conduit for inclusive engagement, especially for older generations. It can provide experience-based context vital to effective strategic intervention for local impact.  

Documenting community lived experience is a creative, person-centered, and authentic approach conducive to social and political progress. A rewarding effort for all involved, Donegal County Council advocates the approach to other county councils.  

UN Sustainable Development Goals: