The Government has provided €200,000 to Trinity College Dublin to support the conservation of war correspondent Robert Fisk’s personal archive.
Mr Fisk spent almost 50 years as a foreign correspondent for UK and Irish media, notably covering the Middle East from his base in Beirut.
The archive includes notes from interviews with Osama bin Laden as well as research notes, photographs, news clippings, audio files and drafts of published works.
It spans a period from his first posting in Belfast in 1972 for the Times until the posthumous publication of his final book, The Night of Power: Betrayal of the Middle East (2024).
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Among the more unusual items in the collection are explosive shells and a strip of oil painting salvaged from a church destroyed by Islamic State.
Minster for Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan said the funding will provide Trinity with the necessary resources to undertake a two-year conservation project.
“The availability of these materials will undoubtedly enrich the academic experiences of students and researchers alike,” he said.
Mr Fisk’s wife, Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, who donated the archive to Trinity, said she was grateful to the Irish Government for its support.
“Robert said we must bear witness and record what we see, so no one can say that they didn’t know,” she said. “At a time when a dark curtain of censorship is extending across the western democracies, when journalism is under attack, reporters face death and targeted assault, false labels and accusations undermine the work of anyone who dares speak out. The preservation and dissemination of information has become more pressing.”
She said she had discussed with her late husband their wish to pass on the archive in the hope that would foster questioning and debate for future generations.
“Robert had an affinity with Ireland and a great admiration for Trinity College as a place of knowledge. I’m pleased that TCD has agreed to be the custodian of this collection,” she said.
Provost of Trinity College, Dr Linda Doyle, said the archive will advance teaching and research into the conflicts covered by Fisk. Once catalogued, it will be accessible to Trinity students and visiting researchers.
Fisk’s career spanned numerous global events including conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Gaza. He received numerous accolades for his work, including the British Press Awards’ International Journalist of the Year seven times and the Reporter of the Year award twice.
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