New Urban Living collection

    Depositors: Mary P. Corcoran (National University of Ireland Maynooth), Jane Gray (National University of Ireland Maynooth) and Michel Peillon (National University of Ireland Maynooth)
     
    Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in four study areas: Leixlip, County Kildare; Lucan, County Dublin; Mullingar, County Westmeath and Ratoath, County Meath. The qualitative data include interview notes and/or transcripts from thirty focus groups conducted with Active Age Groups, Parent and Toddler Groups, Sixth Class Primary School Pupils (who also contributed essays on ‘The Place Where I Live’); an intercultural group (Lucan-Esker) and women participants on a training scheme (Mullingar). There are also in-depth interview notes and/or transcripts from key informants and community activists in each study area. Handwritten essays by 6th Class primary school children are publically available through the IQDA and as an IQDA collection on the Digital Repository of Ireland

    A sub-collection of essays entitled 'The Place Where I Live' that were written by primary school children in 6th class (11-13 years of age) between 2002 and 2004 are openly available on the Digital Repository of Ireland. . The essays are taken from the larger collection New Urban Living that is archived with the Irish Qualitative Data Archive. The New Urban Living study sought to develop a rich account of civic and social life in four Irish suburbs in the greater Dublin area, namely; Leixlip in County Kildare, Lucan in County Dublin, Mullingar in County Westmeath and Rathoat in County Meath. The study areas were selected to capture differences in the nature and timing suburban development and in the relationships between suburbs and the metropolitan centre. Essays were created by the students as a preliminary exercise to their participation in classroom-based focus groups with the researcher at their school. The essays aimed to cover topics including feelings about the locality as a place to live; nature and extent of friendship networks; nature and type of activities in which children were involved in their leisure time; views on the main problems in the locality; attitudes toward and use of information technology. 171 essays in total are available as Jpeg images, as well as transcripts of the written content.

    Access the essay sub-collection on the Digital Repository of Ireland

    To access the full New Urban Living collection you must complete the  IQDA Data Access Request Form  and return it by post to the following address:

    Irish Qualitative Data Archive c/o MU Social Sciences Institute,
    Iontas Building,
    Maynooth University,
    Maynooth,
    Co. Kildare,
    Ireland.