Belfast:  The Dr Éamon Phoenix Foundation, a charity established to preserve and build upon the legacy of the late historian, today launched a new archive of On This Day articles on Irish history – including the use of AI to allow readers to listen to Dr Phoenix ‘reading’ his columns.

The daily archive series, in partnership with the Irish News, republishes historical On This Day columns created by Dr Phoenix over more than three decades.

It also features a new innovation – the use of artificial intelligence cloning technology to recreate Dr Phoenix’s distinctive voice. It is hoped this will help bring the articles to life and reach new audiences.

On This Day is an ongoing daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. It was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022.

The articles will be published daily on the Foundation’s website and promoted across social media.

Éamon’s wife, Alice Phoenix, said: “We’re very excited to begin republishing Éamon’s On This Day columns starting from today.

“We’re starting from columns originally published in 2020 that look back at 1920 and 1970, two critical years in Irish history. Other years will be added in the future.

“This means Éamon’s editing and analysis of the key stories of each day will now be available and searchable on the internet for students, researchers and the public to inform their knowledge and understanding of Ireland’s history.”

Speaking at the launch in the Irish News offices in Belfast city centre, Mrs Phoenix added: “We are very grateful to the Irish News for not just giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns, but to actively assist us in publication.

“Knowing that Éamon’s On This Day work will now be reaching a wider audience means so much to myself, the Phoenix family and the Foundation.

“As the published content builds day by day, it will add greatly to the publicly available research material on Irish history and will help the Foundation’s objective to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation in Ireland through the study of history.”

The Foundation has received funding from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust for the project.

Mrs Phoenix, who is chair of the Foundation, added: “Eamon had a distinctive voice that was much loved by many, and we are delighted to use AI voice cloning to bring these articles to readers in his unique ‘voice’.

The voice cloning was trained using hours of recordings of Éamon’s voice and has been greeted as a faithful reproduction of his soft but expressive tones.

Paul Connolly, of SmartVideo Ltd in Belfast, worked with the Foundation to deliver the On This Day and voice cloning project.

He said: “A written column is very valuable; an audio voice adds intimacy and enriches the experience.

“It will also allow us to reach new audiences – not least as we can curate and package his work, for example a podcast of all On This Days from 1920, or we can choose historical themes.

“In a world where information can be manipulated, the role of trusted institutions has never been more crucial.

“By combining technology with respect for primary sources and scholarly integrity, we can show that history remains both trustworthy and alive.”

The Foundation’s website – www.eamonphoenixfoundation.com – features tributes, images and videos of Dr Phoenix, other archive records of his work and details the Foundation’s mission.

The Irish News, with whom Dr Phoenix had a close relationship, had already donated material from its archives, including photos and articles.

The plan is to add further to the archive of Dr Phoenix’s work over time, to build a substantial body of his legacy.