Dr Liam Alex Heffron

Experience

Assistant Digital Archivist (Post-doctoral research)

2023. United States Archives - Kerby A. Miller Collection, at the University of Galway — School of English and Creative Arts, IMIRCE project

Post-doc researcher and assistant archivist digitally cataloging and populating the Kerby Miller Collection of transcribed letters from over three centuries of Irish emigrants’ correspondence between Ireland, North America and other countries.

  • Reviewing, selecting and arranging the Kerby A. Miller Collection for online publication.

  • Preparing catalogue descriptions for digital letters according to project MOD standards.

  • Batch ingesting of digital files and metadata to Digital Asset Management System.

  • Blog article writer to promote the project.


Digital Archive manager and Heritage Consultant

2016 to Present. St Cormac’s (Heritage) Society — Founder and Chairperson.

Liam A. Heffron and An Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), Enda Kenny, discussing technology and heritage solutions at WestBIC, Galway, 22 Nov 2013.

  • Founder and manager of award-winning digital humanities project to identify, collect, catalogue and digitise the records of Irish primary schools.

  • Developed various projects to conserve, research and promote local heritage records, while providing data stewardship and processing under GDPR and Data Protection policies.

  • Organised inclusive heritage events for community groups, schools and church authorities to celebrate local history and culture.

  • Produced heritage and genealogical workshops, seminars and public awareness events for advocates and the general public.

Teacher and postdoctoral Researcher

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny and Liam Alex Heffron

2023-2024. Independent Researcher

As postdoctoral researcher, working on several self-directed projects including:

  • Awarded 2024-5 Royal Irish Academy (RIA) funding under Commemorations Bursary relating to the Commemoration of events associated with the early years of the state as well as other significant historical anniversaries, events and themes.*

  • 2023+ partner with Ancestry.com to publish over one million records relating to Irish national schools’ attendance registers over the next ten years.

  • Awarded 2023-4 Royal Irish Academy (RIA) funding under the Decade of Centenaries Bursary, to encourage furthering fields of study relating to marginalised communities during the Struggle for Independence and the Civil War period.*

* Results published within the self-conceived and deveopled web-portal, ‘County Mayo Loyalist Compensation Claims, 1921-1923’.

2015-2023. University of Galway, School of History

While as post-grad student, also taught as student tutor and delivered lectures in the history school. Embraced innovative communication routes and critical appraisal methods to meet students where they are at, to encourage a shared understanding of evolving historiography.

  • Ph.D. in History (2023), Contested Space — The revolutionary intersection of land hunger, memory and social justice impulse, within a rural west of Ireland community (1793-1925)

  • M.A. in History (with 1st class honours), 2016, The intersection of political upheaval and land hunger, 1918-23, a North-Mayo Case Study.

  • 10-12 weekly teaching hours, using hybrid teaching model of in-class, remote learning and team projects.

  • Winner of the Explore Campus Innovation Award, 2019 and the NUI Galway Award for Innovation Partnership, 2015.


TV Presenter and content authenticity advisor

2012 to Present. Mayo, Dublin and Los Angeles

Provided heritage and content authenticity advice to creative productions and news organisations, while also producing and presenting media programs and history documentaries.

  • Contributor to RTE’s The Battle for Rural Ireland and Claire Byrne Live.

  • Produced, researched and hosted the online current affairs programme Averity TV.

  • Associate Producer and advising historian on the award-winning Top of the Rock film, featuring Irish builders of the Rockefeller Centre, New York during the the 1930s.

  • Heritage authenticity advisor to BBC’s Who do you think you are? series.

  • Host and contributor to national and local TV and radio channels including BBC, RTE, FM104, Mid-West Radio and independent documentaries.