FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2026

RTÉ Archives has, for many years, developed meaningful partnerships with cultural institutions, community organisations and memory networks across Ireland and the Diaspora. Central to this work is a commitment to meeting communities where they are, recognising that meaningful engagement with audiovisual heritage happens both in physical public spaces and online environments that people already use and trust. Through collaboration with museums, libraries, cultural centres and creative community initiatives, RTÉ Archives is able to open the collections of Ireland’s public service broadcaster in ways that cannot be achieved alone, supporting engagement and dialogue across all island of Ireland and diasporic contexts.
Aligned with FIAT/IFTA’s 2026 theme, “Audiovisual Memories as Spaces of Dialogue”, the presentation illustrates how cross‑institutional and community partnerships enable audiovisual archives to function as dynamic civic resources. Working across physical public spaces, online environments and specially designed, curated applications, these initiatives demonstrate how innovative uses of audiovisual archival collections can support inclusive dialogue and meaningful engagement with shared histories across different communities, sectors and generations.