February Newsletter 2025/ Nuachtlitir Feabhra

Welcome to the Wikimedia Community Ireland February 2025 Newsletter! Was it just us or did February feel even shorter than usual this year?

This month, we’re highlighting our activities in promoting digital activism, closing the gender gap on Wikipedia, and celebrating Irish folklore and language. Read on to learn about our recent presentation at CESICon, our upcoming International Women’s Day event at Trinity College Dublin, and our ongoing Wiki Loves Folklore contests. We also share the latest episode of our podcast, featuring a discussion on the power of folklore. Grab a cupán tae and read on to find out what we’ve been up to.

CESIcon 2025

Last Saturday Wikimedia Community Ireland presented the WikiWomen Erasmus+ Project at CESICon 2025 in Limerick! We explored how this innovative project is empowering students as digital activists enhancing gender equality on Wikipedia. We also explained how secondary teachers can get involved and bring the WikiWomen Toolkits to their classrooms.

The Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) annual conference, known as CESICon, is a premier event for educators and technologists focusing on the integration of technology in education. The 2025 conference, themed “Navigating Digital Futures 2.0”, took place at Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh. The event built upon the previous year’s theme, continuing the exploration of innovative digital practices in education with a special focus on AI in the classroom.

As part of our presentation, we also hosted an interactive Wikipedia editing session, where attendees learned how to contribute to the world’s largest online encyclopedia. Participants showed up with curiosity and acquired new skills and helped close the gender gap on Wikipedia.

If you are an educator or GLAMs professional interested in getting involved with WikiWomen Erasmus+ please reach out for more information.

Sophie our Projects Manager presenting at CESIcon 2025

Art+Feminism Event at Trinity College for International Women’s Day

For International Women’s Day, join us in becoming digital activists at Trinity College Dublin! This coming Wednesday (March 5th) we’re teaming up with Women in Research to host an Art+Feminism Edit-a-thon, where you can help close the gender gap on Wikipedia by editing biographical articles on women artists. No prior experience is needed—just bring your laptop, power cord, and brilliant ideas! To attend the event please register here.

Event Details:

Date: 5 March 2025
Time: 13:00 – 16:30
Venue: South Training Room, Eavan Boland Library, Trinity College Dublin (Meeting point: Eavan Boland Library foyer)

Kick-off with a brief talk on the library’s resources, followed by an introduction to Wikipedia editing and a lecture on gender by our Wikimedian in Residence, Kitamura Sae. We welcome contributions in all languages, especially Irish and Japanese.

Wiki Loves Folkore/ Folklore and Feminism

Our Folkore-themed contests are in full swing and you can still take part in the photo contest and writing contest until the end of March!

Embracing the diversity of traditional culture, stories, rituals, and customs, the Wiki Loves Folkore Photo Contest invites you to capture the essence of folklore through the lens of your camera. Aimed at documenting and preserving both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, this year’s theme focuses on folklore heritage, encouraging participants to visually celebrate the essence of Irish myths, traditions, and community practices. Find out how to enter here.

The aim of the Folklore and Feminism Writing Contest is to document traditional cultures and women in folklore from different regions around the world on Wikipedia. You can find out more here.

New Podcast Episode Out Now: The Power of Folkore with Fáin

In the latest episode of the Wikimedia Community Ireland Podcast, we discuss what festivals and revolutions have in common, Queer readings of mythology and how folklore has the power to celebrate people on the fringes.

Storytelling is important for shaping our cultural identities and how we see others, and it can reveal value systems held within society. Fáin (@HogandDice) is a folklorist, oral storyteller, and multimedia creator. We discussed how to explore the living, evolving nature of folklore—and how we can all engage with it.

They also explain the potential that the digital space has when it comes to preserving folklore and also gives listeners some hints about what they’ll be looking for as a judge for WikiLovesFolkore 2025.

If you’re interested in folklore, open knowledge, or storytelling, this episode is packed with insights, untold stories, and ways you can get involved in preserving and sharing our cultural heritage. Not to be missed! Listen now.

Aonach Gaeilge at UCD

On February 17th we attended Aonach Gaeilge at UCD as part of the University’s Irish Language Week. The goal of this fair is to show students the opportunities that are out there for using Irish after university, both socially and in terms of careers.

Amy, our Irish language Officer had a stand alongside forty other organisations at the fair to promote the work of Wikimedia Community Ireland and met with many second and third-level students who are studying Irish.

Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin, Senior Professor and Chair of Modern Irish in the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore

Nóta ón Oifigeach Gaeilge

A chairde Vicí,

Tá neart rudaí ag tarlú sa chúlra faoi láthair. Tá comórtas scríbhneoireachta Feimineachas agus Béaloideas 2025 ar siúl mar chuid de Wiki Loves Folklore, agus táim ag ullmhú do Sheachtain na Gaeilge freisin — beidh tuilleadh nuachta agam faoi sin go luath!

An tseachtain seo chaite, d’fhreastail mé ar Aonach na Gaeilge a d’eagraigh an Cumann Gaelach i gCOBÁC (UCD), áit a raibh breis is daichead eagraíocht ag obair trí Ghaeilge. Bhí an t-imeacht iontach, agus bhuail mé le go leor mac léinn agus daoine eile a bhfuil spéis acu inár dtionscadail!

Ar an Satharn seo, an 1ú Márta, beidh ár bhfoireann ag tabhairt cur i láthair ag comhdháil CESI i Luimneach. Táim an-sceitimíneach freastal ar imeacht Art and Feminism i gColáiste na Tríonóide an tseachtain seo chugainn, agus tá súil agam cuid agaibh a fheiceáil ann.

Meabhrúchán:

Tá dhá shuirbhé aiseolais pobail againn — ceann do dhaoine atá ag eagarthóireacht ar Vicipéid cheana féin, agus ceann eile do dhaoine eile le fonn tosú ag eagarthóireacht. Táim ag cruthú acmhainní nua freisin chun cabhrú le daoine nua tosú ar an mbealach ceart.

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Amy