When historians warn us to be careful with commemoration we must take heed. For Ireland 2016 community-based historical projects should be encouraged to aim for high quality research, data gathering, analysis and publication - a citizen researcher is envisaged, capitalising on digital toolsets to tell stories of the past in new ways. A broad community of local communities, families with their own stories to tell, historians, political activists and others will all participate in this Ireland 2016 project and it promises to be an interesting ride.