My name is Gerard J. Hannan. I am an Irish author, historian and former journalist who has spent much of my life recording, preserving and sharing the history of Ireland.

I created the Emerald Archives Project with an ambitious goal: to build a freely accessible online journey through two thousand years of Irish history, covering every year from 1 CE to 1999 CE.

Each year will have its own carefully researched article exploring the events, people and developments that shaped Ireland. Together, these articles will form the Bimillennium Archives: a continuous chronological record of Ireland’s political, social, religious, cultural and economic history.

This is more than a collection of dates. It is Ireland’s story, told one year at a time.

Ireland has an extraordinarily rich and complex past, but much of its history remains scattered across books, archives, academic publications and historical records that are not always easily accessible. The Emerald Archives Project will bring this history together in one welcoming online home.

The completed archive will be available to everyone, including students, teachers, researchers, families, local historians and members of the Irish diaspora throughout the world. Access to the historical articles will remain free.

Creating and maintaining an archive of this scale requires considerable time, research and financial investment. I am personally building and developing the project, but I now need help meeting the costs of bringing it to completion and preserving it for the future.

Donations will help fund historical research and source materials, website hosting and storage, technical development, digital preservation, historical image preparation, security, maintenance and the continued publication of new articles.

Every contribution, regardless of size, will help preserve another part of Ireland’s story. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser with friends, family, historical organisations or Irish communities at home and abroad would be enormously valuable.

My hope is to create something permanent: a trusted and accessible historical resource that future generations can explore, learn from and enjoy.

Ireland’s story deserves to be preserved and shared. With your support, the Emerald Archives can become a lasting home for two thousand years of Irish history.

Thank you for helping me preserve Ireland’s past and carry its story into the future.

Gerard J. Hannan

Founder, Emerald Archives Project