Call for papers

The Office of Public Works, Ireland, is pleased to invite submissions for its annual research journal. The first volume will be published in spring 2025, and submissions are welcome at any time.

The journal will showcase original critical research rooted in the substantial portfolio of material culture in the care of or managed by the OPW: built heritage; historic, artistic, literary and scientific collections; the national and international histories associated with these places and objects; and its own long organisational history. Papers will contribute to a deeper understanding of this important collection of national heritage, and investigate new perspectives on aspects of its history. The journal is designed for a broad public, specialist and professional readership.

Established in 1831 (and with antecedents dating back to 1670), the Office of Public Works is a central government office currently with three principal areas of responsibility: managing much of the Irish State’s property portfolio; managing Ireland’s flood risk; and maintaining and presenting 780 heritage sites including national monuments, historic landscapes, buildings and their collections.

We invite submissions on the following historical themes, ranging from the early medieval period to the close of the twentieth century:

• The design history of properties, demesnes and parks in the care of or managed by OPW.
• The furniture, archives, libraries, historical botanical collection, fine and decorative art collections in the care of OPW – including the State Art Collection – and items of material culture held elsewhere with connections to these properties and collections.
• The social, political, biographical and global histories connected with these properties and collections.
• Previously marginalised historical narratives connected to these properties and collections, such as women’s voices, Ireland minority ethnic/global majority heritage, queer lives and disability history.
• The organisational history of public works bodies in Ireland since the seventeenth century such as the Surveyor General’s activities for the crown in Ireland and the Barrack Board, prior to the formalisation of the OPW. The full spectrum of OPW’s diverse history since 1831 including civil engineering, famine relief, loan administration, architectural builds and conservation, archaeological conservation, curatorship and interpretation of monuments and historical sites. This remit encompasses activities at properties owned or managed by the OPW, as well as OPW work undertaken at other State-owned properties (e.g. Leinster House, the Four Courts).

We welcome scholarly papers from a range of perspectives, including (but not limited to) art, architectural, social, scientific and book history, cultures of collecting and display, museum and conservation studies, contested history and provenance research. We are also interested in interdisciplinary approaches and innovative methodologies. Discrete single-object case studies should seek to place the chosen subject within its broader cultural and historical context. Please note that post-2000, and current, programmes and projects are not within the scope of Irish Heritage Studies.

We welcome submissions from academics, post-graduate students, allied professionals, independent researchers and OPW personnel, and actively encourage the work of early career scholars. Submissions should draw on original and unpublished research. Manuscripts will be anonymously peer-reviewed before definitive acceptance for publication. The journal will be published in hardcopy, with later release for e-book sales and finally free electronic version online.

Each volume will consist of eight to twelve papers. Final manuscripts will be 4,000–8,000 words (plus endnotes), typically with twelve illustrations. In addition to these more traditional essays, we welcome shorter pieces of above 1,000 words (plus endnotes), typically with six illustrations. Submissions should be in English, and multi-authored contributions are welcome.

The timescale for each volume is as follows:

• Deadline for submission of abstracts: 1 December.
• Feedback to authors: early January.
• Deadline for selected contributions (text and images) from authors: 1 June.
• Peer-review process completed and final text returned by authors: 1 September.
• Publication: spring each year.

Abstracts are welcome at any time for future volumes.

If you are interested in proposing a paper, please email an abstract (no footnotes) of approx. 500 words with a provisional title and a brief biographical note (no bibliography and no CVs please) to Caroline Pegum, editorial manager, at IHSjournal@opw.ie. Please highlight in your abstract the originality of your research and/or analysis. All submissions will be acknowledged and informal enquiries are welcome any time at the same email address.

Please see the Item was unpublished or removed for more information.