Double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble…Welcome to the October Newsletter (spooky edition)!
Did you know that Hallween is a key part of Irish Heritage? It began as a pagan celebration over 2,000 years ago here in Ireland as part of a Celtic festival known as ‘Samhain’. Samhain celebrated the end of the annual harvest and the coming of Winter, and with it came a fascinating array of rituals and traditions.
As the veil grows thin, let’s look back at how our ancestors inspired so many of our Halloween celebrations today. For example, the transformation of the humble turnip to the elaborately carved and illuminated pumpkins we know and love today (the biggest glow up of all time). Similarly, you can find out more about the púca on Wikipedia here and the fortune-telling capabilities of the bairín breac (barmbrack) here.
Apple bobbing and snap apple are fascinating traditions too, as shown in the photograph. This nostalgic traditional Halloween game dates all the way back to Celtic times, when the Roman army merged their own celebrations with traditional Celtic festivals. During an annual celebration, young unmarried people tried to bite into an apple floating in water or hanging from a string on a line; the first person to bite into the apple would be the next one to be allowed to marry. Apple bobbing was appropriated for Samhain, with apples serving as a sign of fertility and abundance. And yes, Wikipedia taught me all of this!
Anyway, turning back to the present, we have lots of exciting news this month. We are currently recruiting an Irish Language Officer to help develop our work with Vicipéid. We also bring you the winners of the Wiki Loves Pride Photo Contest, and update you on our recent University Education Outreach. So, grab yourself a slice of barmbrack and settle in.
Apple-bobbing at Ditherington Hallowe’en party 1950, Geoff Charles, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Job Opportunity: Irish Language Officer
Do you want to shape the future of the Irish language?
Wikimedia Community Ireland is seeking an Irish Language Officer to lead our efforts in growing, connecting, and supporting the Irish language across Wikimedia projects, with a special focus on Vicipéid.
This role is an opportunity to have a flexible schedule and impact real change when it comes to advocating for the Irish language, especially in the digital realm. There are opportunities for travel, community engagement, and European collaboration.
If you have good Irish language skills, are passionate about open knowledge and a highly motivated and organised self-starter, apply now!
Find out how to apply here.
Wiki Loves Pride Winners Announced!
We are delighted to announce the winning photos in the Wiki Loves Pride 2025 competition! This year, we received beautiful photos, depicting the life, history and LGBT+ communities of the country. We loved the diversity, creativity and heart that was evident in the images.
We would like to thank our judging panel for helping us choose the winners for this year’s competition! Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winners. These photos will be featured on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and social media as part of the Wiki Loves Pride campaign.
Thank you for your support in preserving and sharing LGBTQ+ visibility and history in Ireland. Take a look at the winners here.
Dublin Dyke March 2025 participants, with main focus on participant in centre holding rainbow striped sign stating “Always look on the dyke side of life” in capital letters
Queering Wikipedia Conference 2025
The Queering Wikipedia Conference brings together LGBTQ+ individuals and allies from around the world. Through Wikimedia’s sister projects, we aim to strengthen global connections within the LGBTQ+ community.
This year, Wikimedia LGBT+ is hosting the Queering Wikipedia Conference 2025 online on 24–25 October 2025.
For more information and to register to attend, see the Meta page.
Education Outreach at UL and UM
This Autumn, we have been busy at work collaborating with our University partners to bring open knowledge and Wikipedia editing to the third-level curriculum. Sophie, our Projects and Communications manager, was delighted to deliver courses at the University of Limerick and the University of Maynooth this semester.
The MA in Public History and Heritage students at UL received Wiki-editing training with a focus on the importance of open knowledge for documenting built heritage and monuments.
At the University of Maynooth, students from the MA in Digital Critical Skills learned about digital activism, the information gap and how to critically evaluate information. They are hard at work selecting articles to work on that may help to bridge gaps in knowledge and increase coverage of topics that have been sidelined from history due to structural and systemic issues, including sexism, racism, ableism and colonialism.
If you would like your students to learn about open knowledge and Wikimedia projects, please get in touch. Education outreach is an integral part of our work and we are always on the look out for new collaborators, on a secondary or tertiary level.
Oireactas na Samhna 2025
Come visit us at Oireachtas na Samhna 2025! We are delighted to announce that Amy (our Irish Language Officer) and Éamonn (a community Wikipedian) will be attending Oireachtas na Samhna 2025 in Belfast at the end of this month! The Oireachtas is a cultural festival that began in 1897.
You will find us at our stand in the Oireachtas Fair (Hall 1, Level 1, ICC) from Thursday to Saturday. We will be doing live Wikipedia demos throughout the festival, come and say ‘hi’ to us!
Wiki Science Photo Contest 2025 Opens November 1st
Wiki Science is an international photographic competition to promote science around the world through Wikimedia projects.
Wikimedia Community Ireland is calling upon amateur, professional, and aspiring photographers with a love of science to take photos and upload them to Wikimedia Commons. Photos are welcome of scientists, research subjects, and the research process.
We want you to upload your photos of Science in Ireland between during the month of November.
Find out more here.
Nuacht ón Oifigeach Gaeilge
Táimid ag ullmhú le haghaidh roinnt athruithe ar an bhfoireann Wikimedia faoi láthair, agus beidh ár nOifigeach Gaeilge ag aistriú isteach i ról nua san eagraíocht go luath agus, dá bhrí sin, tá Oifigeach Gaeilge nua ag teastáil uainn! Léigh faoin bpost agus conas iarratas a dhéanamh ar ár suíomh anseo. Scaip an scéal, le do thoil!
Oireachtas na Samhna i mBéal Feirste
Beidh ár nOifigeach Gaeilge reatha, Amy, agus Vicipéideoir Éamonn ag freastal ar Oireachtas na Samhna i mBéal Feirste i mbliana, beidh seastán againn in Aonach an Oireachtais ón Déardaoin go dtí an Satharn. Má tá tú ag freastal, tar oraibh agus abair ‘haigh’ leo! Faigh tuilleadh eolais agus ticéid anseo.
WikiScience ag Tosú Go Luath
Beidh WikiScience ag tosú go han-luath freisin, osclóidh an comórtas grianghrafadóireachta ar an 1ú Samhain. Cuir i d’fhéilire é, agus coinnigh súil ar ár meáin shóisialta agus ar do bhosca isteach le haghaidh fógraí. Beidh iontrálacha ar oscailt go dtí deireadh na míosa – go n-éirí libh!
Straitéis Vicipéide & Acmhainní
Faoi láthair tá ár nOG ag obair le Vicipéideoirí reatha chun straitéis don Vicipéid a fhorbairt agus na hacmhainní atá teastáil óna Vicipéideoirí a chruthú. Má tá spéis agat cabhair leis an gcuid oibre sin, tá fáilte romhat – seol r-phoist chuig Amy ar: oifigeach.gaeilge@gmail.com
Tá suirbhé (dátheangach) againn chun aiseolas a fháil, agus tá sé ar fáil anseo. Má tá am agat bheinn muid an-bhuíoch dá líon sibh an suirbhé seo a líon amach. Go raibh míle maith ag na Vicipéideoirí a rinne é cheana!
Next Community Meeting: November 25th at 6pm
Come along to the Wikimedia Community Ireland monthly online meet-up!
We are delighted to invite new and existing community members or anyone interested in getting involved in our work to join us for our online Community meeting on Tuesday, November 25th, at 6 pm.
This meeting will take place on Google Meet (find all details here).
