Exploring the Irish National Folklore Ethnography Database (Dúchas) for Open Data Research on Traditional Medicine Use in Post-Famine Ireland: An Early Example of Citizen Science

Aaron Koay,Astrid Sasse,Fiona Shannon,Helen Sheridan,Michael Heinrich

doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.584595

Aaron Koay, Astrid Sasse + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.584595

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Abstract

A rich archive of oral and ethnological literature is housed in the National Folklore Collection, in University College Dublin, Ireland. The Schools’ Manuscript Collection is one body of information that contains a wealth of ethnographic material, including that of an ethnomedicinal nature, collected by schoolchildren across Ireland in the 1930s, in an early example of Citizen Science. The collection has been digitized and is available online at Dúchas.ie. Furthermore, there is an on-going and related project, the Meitheal Dúchas.ie Community Transcription project that enables the database to be easily searched, and thus used for research purposes. This study analyses the user interface and functionality of the Dúchas database for ethnomedical research by utilizing probes in the form of plants, within the collection, that have been previously identified as used for medicinal purposes. Limitations and biases associated with both the original collection of the material and the Dúchas database, that impact on the quality and utility of extractable data have been identified, and where possible specific procedures adopted to counteract such limitations. This study provides an insight into; the use of Dúchas.ie for ethnographic research, the use of plants for medicinal purposes in post-famine Ireland and is the first tangible example of Citizen Science in ethnomedical research in Ireland.

Highlights

Citizen Science is defined as, “the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists” (OUP, 2020)
Recent examples include a study in Austria utilizing schoolchildren to collect ethnobotanical data (Grasser et al, 2016) and the Open Air Laboratories Network, a citizen science initiative that has involved over 4,000 schools in environmental surveys, in the United Kingdom and Ireland (OPAL, 2019)
The material collected from this initiative, known as the Schools’ Manuscript Collection (SMC), is stored in the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin, Ireland, has recently been inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register (UNESCO, 2017), and is the subject of the current study

Summary

Introduction

Citizen Science is defined as, “the collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists” (OUP, 2020). It is an evolving field of research that is experiencing increased legitimacy with many government institutions and international agencies, such as the United Nations, European Union and environmental protection agencies, all employing it as a research tool (Hecker et al, 2018; Fritz et al, 2019). The material collected from this initiative, known as the Schools’ Manuscript Collection (SMC), is stored in the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin, Ireland, has recently been inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register (UNESCO, 2017), and is the subject of the current study

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