The Irish Community Archive Network (iCAN) is the leading organisation championing and supporting digital community archives in Ireland.

Its main aim is to encourage and support communities to collect and share their local history and heritage online.

iCAN was established by the National Museum of Ireland in 2009 and has been developed in partnership with participating local authority Heritage Officers and with support from Creative Ireland.

In 2023, the Heritage Council joined iCAN as a new funding partner, to facilitate an expansion of the initiative.

To date, iCAN has supported the creation and development of 36 online archives in counties Clare, Cork, Galway, Mayo and Wicklow. The project aims to support the development of at least 80 digital archives across Ireland by 2028.


With much of Ireland’s material and intangible cultural heritage in the care and ownership of its citizens and diaspora, iCAN is empowering local communities to document their own history, heritage and culture on digital platforms and make it accessible to people all over the world.

Learn more about iCAN. We invite you to explore the iCAN member archives, contribute your photos and information, or get involved with your local group.