Trinity receives DFHERIS funding to conserve the Robert Fisk Archive 

Posted on: 05 November 2024

Trinity College Dublin has received €200,000 in funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to support the conservation of the personal archive of the renowned late journalist and Trinity graduate Robert Fisk and his wife, Nelofer Pazira-Fisk.  

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. announced the funding at Trinity’s Eavan Boland Library today, with Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, Trinity Provost Dr Linda Doyle, and Librarian and College Archivist Helen Shenton in attendance. 

The Archive, spanning Robert Fisk’s 50-year journalistic career, was donated to the Library of Trinity College Dublin by Nelofer Pazira-Fisk. 

Robert Fisk (below) received a PhD in political science from Trinity College Dublin in 1985 and maintained a life-long connection with the University. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2008. 

The Robert and Nelofer Pazira-Fisk Archive & Library encompasses material from Robert Fisk’s first posting in Belfast in 1972 for the London Times up until the posthumous publication of his final book, The Night of Power: Betrayal of the Middle East (2024). Notes from his interviews with Osama Bin Laden in the caves of Afghanistan are among the extensive range of notebooks, research notes, photographs, audio files of interviews, drafts for published works, and correspondence of letters and emails. The collection also includes artefacts such as explosives shells and salvaged items such as the strip of an oil painting taken from a church by Islamic State. 

The Library of Trinity College Dublin will make this Archive fully accessible as soon as possible for readers and researchers in-person and online. There is extensive work involved in cataloguing, conserving and preserving, and digitising an archive of such significance. 

In supporting these life-cycle costs, Government funding will now help to make this possible and has enabled this generous donation by Nelofer Pazira-Fisk (pictured below at Trinity with one of Robert's notebooks) to proceed. 

Nelofer Pazira-Fisk said: “I am grateful to people in Ireland for their moral stand against oppression and injustices – and to the Irish government for this kind financial support. Robert said we must bear witness and record what we see, so no one can say that they did not know. 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.  

“Robert and I often discussed our wish to pass on our archive so the future generations could make use of it with the hope that it will foster questioning and debate. And that knowledge of history enables humanity to say no to violence of all kinds. Robert had an affinity with Ireland and a great admiration for Trinity College as a place of knowledge. I am pleased that TCD has agreed to be the custodian of this collection.” 

Minister Patrick O’Donovan (pictured below on left with (l to r) Nelofer, Librarian Helen Shenton and Provost Dr Linda Doyle) said: “This is an exciting day for Trinity, and I am thrilled to announce this funding which will enable the donation of this historic archive to proceed. 

“Robert Fisk was a celebrated journalist who spent over 45 years as a leading foreign correspondent for UK and Irish media, notably covering the Middle East from his base in Beirut. 

“His incredible career spanned numerous significant events, including conflicts in Iran, the Gulf, Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Gaza, as well as the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Arab Spring in 2011. Fisk also 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. 

“The funding announced today will provide Trinity with the necessary resources to undertake an essential two-year conservation project. The availability of these materials will undoubtedly enrich the academic experiences of students and researchers alike.”  

Provost Dr Linda Doyle said:  “We are honoured that Nelofer Pazira-Fisk has donated this Archive to Trinity. It will advance teaching and research into the conflicts covered by Robert Fisk over so many years and will act as a vital resource for researchers, policy makers and the public. Today’s announcement will contribute to the Archive’s conservation and accessibility for the future.” 

Librarian and College archivist, Helen Shenton said: “Robert Fisk was unfaltering in his commitment to frontline journalism and being a witness to history, with one-on-one access to sources – many of whom are no longer alive today. The exceptional Archive includes ‘born digital’ content, containing email correspondence, representing a new archival area of the 21st century. The Library of Trinity College will ensure the physical and digital preservation of this Archive and make it accessible in the near future and for posterity. It will be available through our Research Collections Study Centre and online through our Virtual Trinity Library programme.” 

Ends 

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