June Newsletter 2026

[léigh an leagan Gaeilge anseo | read the Irish language version here]

Hello friends,

June was a busy month – workshops, partnership events, and competitions running across the country. Here is a summary of what happened.

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Wiki Loves Folklore 2026 winners

The results of Wiki Loves Folklore Ireland 2026 are in. The competition ran from 1 February to 7 April. A jury of three judged the entries: Aideen Herron (Heritage Project Assistant, CITB NI), Hannah Gallagher (Assistant Keeper at the Irish Folklife Division, National Museum of Ireland), and Cúán de Búrca, co-creator and co-presenter of Dúchas, an Irish-language podcast on folklore, history, heritage, and mythology.

🥇 First place: Michael Deligan — a photograph of Blarney Castle in County Cork, home of the Blarney Stone, a custom said to confer the gift of persuasive speech on those who kiss it.

🥈 Second place: A.-K. D. — a photograph taken at Clontubbrid Graveyard on the patron day of St Fiachra, 8 February, showing the modern St Fiachra’s Church alongside the Hermit’s Well.

🥉 Third place: Michael Deligan — a photograph of Galway Hooker sailing vessels on Galway Bay. The Galway Hooker is a traditional wooden sailing boat historically used for fishing and transporting goods along the west coast.

Congratulations to all three winners, and thanks to everyone who entered.

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Wiki Loves Pride workshop, Waterford

On 2 June, WCI ran a workshop at Ardkeen Library, Waterford, in partnership with Pride of the Déise. Fourteen people took part. Participants learned to edit on Wikipedia and upload photos to Wikimedia Commons, with a focus on gaps in LGBT+ content. Photos were added to biographies during the session — including a photo of Sexy Tadhg, who had performed at the festival’s block party the previous Sunday. Several participants expressed interest in joining an ongoing LGBT+ focused editing group.

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Wiki Loves Pride event at the National Library of Ireland

On 19 June, WCI held a partnership event at the National Library of Ireland alongside the Irish Queer Archive. Read about the event on our blog.

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LGBT+ editing group

Following interest expressed at June events, WCI is launching a monthly editing group focused on LGBT+ content, starting in August. If you would like to take part, sign up here: https://wikimediaireland.kit.com/wmlgbt-ie

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DPASSH 2026, Belfast

WCI attended DPASSH in Belfast in June. Eugene presented on ten years of WCI photo competitions – the digital preservation work carried out through Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Pride, and others. Thanks to the DRI and all organisers for a well-run conference. More to come!

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Photo competitions: key dates

Three competitions are currently open:

Wiki Loves Earth 2026 open until 31 July. If you have photos of natural places in Ireland, you are welcome to upload them to Wikimedia Commons.
Wiki Loves: A Future for Thatch 2026 open until 31 July. The competition focuses on thatched buildings across the island of Ireland, in partnership with CITB NI.
Wiki Loves Pride 2026 open until 31 August. Submit photos from local Pride celebrations, history, monuments, or LGBT+ figures you may be photographing.

Looking ahead – Wiki Loves Monuments 2026 will open in mid-August. If you are planning summer trips, it is worth thinking about photos at monuments and heritage sites along the way.

We are currently preparing our end-of-year report. Today marks the final day of the WMF fiscal year, and our report on 2025–2026 activities will be available on Meta in the coming weeks – keep an eye out!

Wikimania 2026, Paris

Amy will be at Wikimania in Paris in July, after getting a last-minute ticket from the waitlist. If you are going and would like to meet up, get in touch!

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Upcoming events