A
Comprehensive Guide to Digital Archives, Databases and Collections
Compiled and maintained by Boyne Archives — professional
archivists specialising in Irish Catholic and ecclesiastical records.
Last updated: March 2026.
This page lists the major online resources for researching Irish
history, including national archives, church and religious archives,
genealogy databases, digitised newspapers, manuscript collections,
historical maps, and diaspora resources. It covers repositories in
Ireland, Northern Ireland, Britain, North America, Australia and beyond.
Resources are noted as free or subscription-based where known.
1. National Archives &
Libraries
National Archives of Ireland
(NAI)
URL: https://nationalarchives.ie/ Access: Free
Ireland’s principal repository for government and public records.
Holds approximately 60 million records spanning the medieval period to
the twentieth century. Key online collections include:
- Census returns for 1901 and 1911 (complete for all Ireland), plus
surviving fragments from 1821–1891 - Tithe Applotment Books 1823–1837 (at
titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie) - Griffith’s Valuation / Valuation Office Books 1824–1856
- Marriage Licence Bonds 1623–1866
- Catholic Qualification and Convert Rolls 1700–1845
- Wills and Will Abstracts 1596–1858; Soldiers’ Wills 1914–1917
- Shipping Agreements and Crew Lists 1863–1921
- Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers 1818–1924
- Decade of Centenaries collections: Dáil Éireann minute books and
Anglo-Irish Treaty drafts 1919–1922; Property Losses (Ireland) Committee
— 6,567 applications for damages arising from the 1916 Rising; Dublin
Metropolitan Police reports 1915–1916
Coming soon: The 1926 Census of
Ireland is due for public release in April 2026 — the first
full Irish census to be made publicly available in nearly a century.
Check nationalarchives.ie for access details.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
National Library of Ireland
(NLI)
URL: https://nli.ie/ Access: Free
(some eResources available in reading rooms only)
Ireland’s national library holds over 12 million items spanning
manuscripts, printed books, maps, photographs, newspapers, and ephemera.
Key online offerings:
- Catholic Parish Registers pre-1864: free image access at
registers.nli.ie — 1,086 parishes, up to
c.1880/1881 - Digitised collections via catalogue.nli.ie: the Longfield Map
Collection, estate maps, photographs, newspapers - NLI Web Archive: 125+ collections, 2,300+ archived sites, 44
terabytes — covering every Irish election since 2011, referenda, the
Decade of Centenaries, COVID-19, and more - Some 1,300 Gaelic manuscripts (14th–21st century) catalogued;
includes Gréasáin Éireannacha, an archive of Irish-language websites and
born-digital content
Twitter/X: @NatLibIreland
Public Record
Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
URL: https://nidirect.gov.uk/proni Access: Mix of free and paid
Principal repository for public records relating to Northern Ireland.
Major online collections:
- eCatalogue:
nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-pronis-ecatalogue — over 1 million
catalogue entries, free. (Note: searches returning more than 5,000
results require more refined keywords.) - Will Calendars 1858–1965:
nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-will-calendars — free - Valuation Revision Books 1864–1930s: annual changes
recorded in different ink colours — free - Street Directories 1819–1900: Belfast (multiple
sections) and principal Ulster towns and villages; keyword-searchable by
name, street, or profession — free - Historical Maps Viewer: 7 OSNI map series 1832–1986
with modern overlay; county/parish/townland boundaries and searchable by
address — free. Note: covers Northern Ireland (OSNI maps)
only.
Twitter/X: @PRONI_Direct
Virtual Record Treasury
of Ireland (VRTI)
URL: https://virtualtreasury.ie/ Access: Free
A landmark digital humanities project led by Trinity College Dublin
and the National Archives of Ireland, with 75+ global partners and
funded by Project Ireland 2040. The VRTI digitally reconstructs the
Public Record Office of Ireland destroyed in 1922, drawing on surviving
copies of lost records held in libraries and archives worldwide. It uses
linked open data and a Knowledge Graph Explorer (developed by the ADAPT
Research Centre) to allow cross-collection person tracing across all
portals.
Portals: - Age of Conquest
(virtualtreasury.ie/portals/age-of-conquest): 12th–15th century
Anglo-Norman Ireland; 5 million+ words; includes Irish Chancery Letters
1244–1509 (CIRCLE 2.0) - Age of Revolution: 1760–1830;
1798 Rebellion materials - Population Portal: 100,000+
names recovered from lost pre-Famine census records (1821–1851),
including the 1766 Religious Census, Hearth Money Rolls, and 1799
Carrick-on-Suir census. Curated by Dr. Brian Gurrin - State
Papers Ireland: 1660–1720; 10 million words of post-Cromwellian
and Williamite-era state records - Royal Revenue:
Exchequer rolls 1270–1450, digitised from the National Archives UK -
Deeds of the Guild of St Anne: 1237–1778 (partnership
with RIA and Irish Manuscripts Commission)
Gold Seams also include the Irish House of Commons
debates 1776–1801 and the Chief Secretary’s Papers 1770–1830.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE (no dedicated VRTI
handle)
Military Archives of Ireland
URL: https://militaryarchives.ie/ Access: Free
Holds records of the Irish Defence Forces and related bodies. Key
online collections:
- Bureau of Military History 1913–1921: 1,773 witness statements,
voice recordings, and press cuttings - Military Service Pensions Collection (MSPC) 1916–1923: pension
applications relating to service in the War of Independence and Civil
War - Collins Papers 1917–1922: IRA brigade and battalion
correspondence - Irish Army Census, November 1922
- UN Unit Histories 1960–1982
Twitter/X: None
National Museum of Ireland
URL: https://museum.ie/ Access:
Free (searchable collections database online)
Searchable online collections database covering archaeology,
decorative arts, natural history, and country life collections.
Twitter/X: @NatMuseumIRE
Irish Manuscripts Commission
(IMC)
URL: https://irishmanuscripts.ie/ Access: Free (databases and PDF downloads)
Founded 1928. Publishes editions, calendars, and finding aids for
Irish primary historical materials. Online offerings are more
substantial than the site’s appearance suggests:
- Women’s History Sources database: 20,000+
historical sources for the history of women in Ireland - Analecta Hibernica search tool: index to the
long-running series of primary source transcriptions - Franciscan Accounts Database 1764–1921: financial
records of the Irish Franciscan province - Free PDF downloads of out-of-print publications:
Civil Survey, Census of Elphin, Commentarius Rinuccinianus, Leabhar
Muimhneach, genealogical tracts, and more
Twitter/X: None
Dictionary of Irish Biography
(DIB)
URL: https://dib.ie/ Access: Free /
Open Access
Published jointly by the Royal Irish Academy and Cambridge University
Press. Approximately 11,000 authoritative, peer-reviewed biographies of
significant figures born in Ireland or with notable Irish careers, from
earliest times to the twenty-first century (living persons excluded).
Continuously expanded and revised, with new entries added regularly.
Twitter/X: None
2. Church & Religious
Archives
Catholic Archives (Ireland)
URL: https://catholicarchives.ie/ Access: Free
An AtoM-based online catalogue of Irish Catholic diocesan,
congregational, and institutional archives, compiled and maintained by
Boyne Archives. Currently catalogues 14+ archives with further
collections in progress. Updated daily. Covers diocesan archives,
religious orders, and associated Catholic institutions across
Ireland.
Twitter/X: @ArchivesBoyne
Catholic Archives (Great
Britain)
URL: https://catholicarchives.co.uk/ Access: Free
Sister catalogue to catholicarchives.ie, covering Catholic archives
in Great Britain. AtoM platform. Maintained by Boyne Archives.
Twitter/X: @ArchivesBoyne
Catholic History Ireland
URL: https://catholichistory.ie/ Access: Free
A Canopy/IIIF-based platform presenting high-resolution digitised
primary source documents relating to Irish Catholic history. Maintained
by Boyne Archives.
Twitter/X: @ArchivesBoyne
NLI Catholic Parish
Registers
URL: https://registers.nli.ie/ Access: Free (image-only)
The National Library of Ireland hosts free online access to Catholic
parish registers for 1,086 parishes across Ireland, covering baptisms,
marriages, and burials from the late 18th century up to c.1880/1881.
Image-only (not indexed); pre-1864 records (before civil
registration).
Twitter/X: @NatLibIreland
Association
of Catholic Archives in Ireland (ACAI) / Church Archives
URL: https://churcharchives.ie/ Access: Free (directory)
Note: Despite its name, ACAI is an ecumenical body
covering all Christian churches in Ireland, not exclusively Catholic.
Provides a comprehensive directory of church archives in Ireland and
Northern Ireland, with links to individual archive pages and contact
details.
Twitter/X: None
Ó Fiaich Library & Archive,
Armagh
URL: https://ofiaich.ie/ Access: By
appointment; online catalogue available
Two major collections:
- Archive of the Archdiocese of Armagh: papers of the
Archbishops of Armagh 1787–1963, plus associated collections - Irish Overseas Archive: approximately 250,000 items
documenting the Irish diaspora in Europe, including genealogical
sources
Twitter/X: @OFiaichLibrary
Salamanca Archive
(Maynooth University)
URL: https://seminary.maynoothcollege.ie/archives
Access: Free (online catalogue); originals by
appointment
The Salamanca Archive holds records of the Irish College, Salamanca
(founded 1592) and associated institutions. It is the first
Maynooth collection to have a full online catalogue, accessible via
CalmView, with 50,000+ documents covering Irish students abroad
from the Counter-Reformation to the nineteenth century. An exceptional
resource for Irish Catholic history in the early modern period.
Twitter/X: @MaynoothUni
Delany Archive
URL: https://delanyarchive.ie/collections/ Access: Free (catalogue links and PDFs online)
A partnership archive currently holding 23+ collections. Online
catalogue with downloadable PDFs; ongoing development.
Twitter/X: None
Spiritans Ireland Archives
URL: https://spiritan.ie/ Access:
By appointment; catalogue available
Kimmage Manor, Dublin. Records of the Irish province of the Spiritans
(Holy Ghost Fathers) from 1859. Includes the Biafran War collection
(access by appointment).
Twitter/X: @SpiritansIreland
Columban
Missionaries — Dalgan Audio-Visual Library
URL:
https://columbans.ie/resources/dalgan-audio-visual-library-catalogue/
Access: By appointment
Online catalogue of the Dalgan audio-visual library. Early
twentieth-century footage from Columban missions, including footage from
China and other mission territories.
Twitter/X: @Columbans
Society of African Missions
(SMA)
URL:
https://churcharchives.ie/society-of-african-missions/ | https://sma.ie/
Access: By appointment
Cork. Holds mission records and the significant Kevin Carroll
photographic collection. Listed on ACAI directory.
Twitter/X: None
St Patrick’s
Missionary Society (Kiltegan Fathers)
URL: https://spms.org/ Access:
Mission history and photographs online; no searchable catalogue
Twitter/X: None
Association
of Missionaries and Religious in Ireland (AMRI)
URL: https://amri.ie/shared-archive-project/
Access: Information online; access via member
congregations
Shared Archive Project bringing together 34 religious congregations
to develop a collaborative approach to archives (modelled on the
Netherlands system). A significant development for the preservation and
accessibility of Irish missionary records.
Twitter/X: None
Sisters of Mercy (Ireland)
URL: https://sistersofmercy.ie/archives/
Access: Finding aids online; in-person access by
appointment
Congregational archives. Holds records including those relating to
approximately 32 industrial schools.
Twitter/X: @SistersOfMercyIE
Medical Missionaries of Mary
(MMM)
URL: https://mmmworldwide.org/mmm-archives/
Access: By appointment (contact
mmmarchives@mmm37.org)
Drogheda. Archives of one of Ireland’s best-known missionary
congregations for women, founded 1937.
Twitter/X: @MMMWorldwide
Dublin Diocesan Archives
URL: https://dublindiocese.ie/offices/archives/ Access: By appointment
Twitter/X: @DubArchdiocese
Derry Diocesan Archive
URL:
https://churcharchives.ie/derry-diocesan-archive/
Access: By appointment; listed via ACAI
Twitter/X: @DerryDiocese
Glenstal Abbey Archives
URL: https://glenstalarchives.ie/ Access: By appointment
Benedictine monastery near Limerick. Monastic archive with materials
relating to the history of the community and associated collections.
Twitter/X: None
Church
of Ireland / Representative Church Body (RCB) Library
URL: https://churchofireland.org/about/rcb-library Access: By appointment
Note: This is the Church of Ireland
(Protestant/Anglican), not Catholic. The RCB Library in Dublin is the
principal repository for Church of Ireland records, holding parish
registers, vestry minute books, and administrative records.
Twitter/X: @ChurchofIreland
3. Genealogy & Civil Records
IrishGenealogy.ie
URL: https://irishgenealogy.ie/ Access: Free
The principal free gateway for Irish civil registration records,
maintained by the Department of Social Protection. Searchable
records:
- Births: 1864–1925
- Marriages: 1845–1950
- Deaths: 1871–1975 (images now linked for all years including
1864–1870)
Twitter/X: @IrishGenealogy
GRONI
Online (General Register Office Northern Ireland)
URL:
https://nidirect.gov.uk/services/go-groni-online
Access: Paid (£0.50/credit; image view £2.50)
Civil registration records for Northern Ireland: births, marriages,
and deaths.
Twitter/X: @GRONIonline
Census of Ireland Online
(NAI)
URL: https://census.nationalarchives.ie/ Access: Free
Complete 1901 and 1911 census returns for all of Ireland, fully
searchable by name, county, DED and household. Surviving fragments from
1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851 also available.
Coming soon: The 1926 Census of
Ireland is due for public release in April 2026 — check
nationalarchives.ie for access details.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
VRTI Population Portal
URL:
https://virtualtreasury.ie/portals/population-portal
Access: Free
Over 100,000 names recovered from Irish census records lost in 1922,
including the 1766 Religious Census (50,000+ names), Hearth Money Rolls,
and the 1799 Carrick-on-Suir census. Includes Gertrude Thrift’s
biographical notes on pre-Famine individuals (23 boxes, formerly only on
microfilm). Curated by Dr. Brian Gurrin.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
NLI Catholic Parish
Registers
URL: https://registers.nli.ie/ Access: Free (image-only)
1,086 parishes. Pre-civil registration (pre-1864), up to c.1880/1881.
Baptisms, marriages, and burials.
Twitter/X: @NatLibIreland
Griffith’s Valuation (Ask
About Ireland)
URL: https://askaboutireland.ie/ Access: Free
Griffith’s Primary Valuation of Ireland 1847–1864, integrated with
Ordnance Survey maps. The standard baseline for mid-nineteenth-century
Irish genealogy research.
Twitter/X: @AskAboutIre
Tithe Applotment Books
URL:
https://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/
Access: Free
1823–1837. Records of the tithe survey of landholders across all of
Ireland, digitised in partnership with the Genealogical Society of Utah.
An important pre-Famine name source predating Griffith’s Valuation.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
RootsIreland.ie
URL: https://rootsireland.ie/
Access: Paid subscription (annual; frequent 25%
discount offers — check site for current pricing)
Over 25 million records contributed by local heritage centres across
all 32 counties. Church registers (baptisms, marriages, burials),
gravestone inscriptions, civil records, local directories. Coverage from
the seventeenth century up to and into the early twentieth century. Over
168,000 new records added in 2025 alone.
Twitter/X: @RootsIreland
Findmypast (Irish records)
URL: https://findmypast.com/ Access: Paid subscription
Major commercial genealogy platform with extensive Irish
holdings:
- Catholic Heritage Archive: 7 million+ baptisms, 3
million+ marriages, 250,000+ burials, 54,000+ congregational records;
includes Latin name handling - Landed Estates Court Rentals 1850–1885: 500,000
tenants from post-Famine estate sales - Original Will Registers 1858–1920
- Index of Irish Wills 1484–1858: Thrift Abstracts,
Crossle Abstracts, Inland Revenue Administration Registers 1828–1839,
Genealogical Office manuscripts - Board of Guardians records for many counties (Donegal records
accessible free at Donegal public libraries)
Twitter/X: @Findmypast
Ancestry (Irish records)
URL: https://ancestry.com/ Access:
Paid subscription
- 1,000+ Catholic parish registers (1,000+ parishes; transatlantic
integration with passenger lists and emigrant savings banks) - 1841/1851 Census Abstracts: Collection ID 48489; 3,568 households —
northern counties only (Antrim, Armagh, Down,
Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone), derived from 1908 Old Age Pension
searches
Twitter/X: @Ancestry
Irish Deeds Index
URL: https://irishdeedsindex.net/ Access: Free (volunteer-run)
Approximately 650,000 records and growing. Index to Registry of Deeds
memorials 1708–1929 — the principal source for property transactions
before the Land Acts. Approximately 90% of entries link to FamilySearch
images of the original memorial books. Also includes a separate townland
index (700,000+ entries) and grantor index (53,000+ entries).
Twitter/X: None
Will Calendars (NAI)
URL: https://willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/ Access: Free
Images of Will Calendars 1858–1920 linked online; PDFs of calendars
1922–1982 on the main NAI site. Covers all Ireland to 1917; Republic of
Ireland only from 1918. Soldiers’ Wills 1914–1917 also available.
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
PRONI Will Calendars
URL:
https://nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-will-calendars
Access: Free
Will Calendars for Northern Ireland 1858–1965.
Twitter/X: @PRONI_Direct
Landed Estates
Database (University of Galway)
URL: https://landedestates.ie/ Access: Free
Academic database of landed estates and country houses in Ireland
c.1700–1914. Currently covers Connacht, Munster, Cavan, Donegal,
Monaghan, Longford, and Westmeath; ongoing expansion to Leinster. 1,450+
houses, 1,650+ estates. Maintained by the Moore Institute, University of
Galway.
Twitter/X: None
Ulster Historical Foundation
URL: https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/
Access: Pay-per-view (£1–2.66/record); Guild Plus
membership £49.99/yr unlimited
Note: Primarily covers Counties Antrim and Down
(Heritage Centre for those two counties). Not comprehensive for all nine
Ulster counties. Holdings:
- 931,732 birth/baptism records and 469,255 marriage records (Antrim
and Down, c.1660–1930) - 52,867 gravestone inscriptions
- Index of Wills 1510–1900 (265,955 records)
- Transportation to Australia 1780–1867 (38,906 records)
- Ulster Directory 1900
Twitter/X: @UlsterHeritage
4. Digitised Newspapers &
Periodicals
Irish Newspaper Archive
URL: https://irishnewsarchive.com/
Access: Subscription (€169/yr Gold; €18.25/month; free
via Irish public libraries, NLI, and university networks)
The largest dedicated Irish newspaper archive online. Approximately
260 national and provincial titles, 9 million+ pages,
1738 to the present. 2025 additions include the Monaghan Argus, Mayo
Examiner, and Roscommon Champion. Fully text-searchable.
Twitter/X: @IrishNewsArchive
British Newspaper
Archive (Irish content)
URL: https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
Access: Subscription (free via NLI and university
networks)
Partnership between the British Library and Findmypast. Holds
160+ Irish titles and over 6.3 million pages of Irish
newspaper content out of 90 million+ total pages. Coverage from the
1700s to the 2000s. Includes Belfast and provincial titles not available
elsewhere.
Twitter/X: @BritNewsArchive
Irish Times Archive
URL: https://irishtimes.com/
Access: Subscription (free via many third-level
institutions)
Full text archive of the Irish Times, 1859 to the present. One of the
longest continuous runs of any Irish newspaper in digital form.
Twitter/X: @irishtimes
Belfast
Newsletter Index (University of Louisiana)
URL: https://ucs.louisiana.edu/bnl/ Access: Free
Approximately 300,000 items from the Belfast Newsletter 1737–1800,
compiled by John C. Greene at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Nearly complete runs from 1750. The Belfast Newsletter (founded 1737) is
one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the world.
Twitter/X: None
5.
Manuscripts, Digitised Collections & Academic Resources
Irish Script on Screen (ISOS)
URL: https://isos.dias.ie/ Access:
Free
Established 1999 by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Over
450 digitised Irish-language manuscripts from collections worldwide. Key
texts:
- An Cathach (c.560–600 AD) — Psalter of St Columba;
oldest surviving Irish manuscript - Stowe Missal (792–803 AD) — pocket-sized vellum
mass book - Leabhar na hUidhre / Book of the Dun Cow (11th–12th
c.) — oldest surviving manuscript written entirely in Irish - Book of Ballymote (1390) — includes the Leabhar
Gabhála Éireann - Book of the O’Lees (1450) — Arabic medicine
translated into Irish, with tabular charts - Elizabeth’s Primer (16th c.) — prepared by
Christopher Nugent to teach Queen Elizabeth I to read Irish
Twitter/X: None
TCD Digital Collections
URL: https://digitalcollections.tcd.ie/ Access: Free
Trinity College Dublin’s digital collections platform. 119,000+
digitised items from the 13th century BCE to the present. Includes:
- Book of Kells, Book of Durrow, Book of Armagh (internationally
renowned insular gospel books) - Michael Davitt Papers
- Medieval Latin Manuscripts
- Oscar Wilde Collection
- Maps & Atlases
- Fagel Collection (Dutch/early print history)
Twitter/X: @TCD_Digital
1641 Depositions (TCD)
URL: https://1641.tcd.ie/ Access:
Free
Note: A dedicated site — separate from the main TCD Digital
Collections. The 1641 Depositions are witness testimonies,
examinations, and associated materials gathered following the outbreak
of the 1641 Irish Rebellion. 8,000 documents, fully searchable by
forename, surname, county, free text, and county-map browsing.
Transcripts available in XML and PDF. Funded by TCD, University of
Aberdeen, University of Cambridge, and the AHRC.
Twitter/X: @TCD_Digital
JSTOR Ireland Collection
URL: https://jstor.org/ Access:
Free via higher education institutions and public libraries (UK and
Ireland, via Jisc Digitisation Programme 2009–2034)
620,000 pages of Irish academic content: 80 core journals, 210
monographs, 2,500+ manuscript pages. Key titles include Archaeology
Ireland (1987–2025), Analecta Hibernica (1930–2020), and Béaloideas —
Journal of the Folklore of Ireland Society (1927–2019). Royal Irish
Academy journals are transitioning to open access.
Twitter/X: @JSTOR
Royal Irish
Academy (RIA) — Journals and Publishing
URL: https://ria.ie/publishing-house Access: Moving towards open access
The RIA’s publishing programme includes some of Ireland’s most
significant academic journals for history, archaeology, and Celtic
studies. Journals are progressively moving to open access under Irish
Research eLibrary and Jisc read-and-publish agreements.
Twitter/X: @royirishacademy
Marsh’s Library
URL: https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/ Access: Free (online exhibitions)
Ireland’s oldest public library, founded 1707 by Narcissus Marsh,
Archbishop of Dublin. The digital platform offers curated online
exhibitions rather than raw open-access scans. Exhibitions include:
Sole Survivors, Hunting Stolen Books, Mapping
History, Changed Utterly (Irish Revolution), James Joyce,
and Bram Stoker. The library holds 300 manuscripts; manuscript images
are also accessible via Irish Script on Screen (ISOS).
Twitter/X: @MarshLibrary
Irish Manuscripts Commission
(IMC)
URL: https://irishmanuscripts.ie/ Access: Free (databases and downloadable PDFs)
(See also entry in Section 1 — National Archives &
Libraries.)
Online databases: Women’s History Sources (20,000+ sources), Analecta
Hibernica search tool, Franciscan Accounts Database 1764–1921. Free PDF
downloads of out-of-print scholarly publications.
Twitter/X: None
Dúchas — National Folklore
Collection
URL: https://duchas.ie/ Access:
Free
Hosted by University College Dublin and Dublin City University. The
Schools’ Collection 1937–1939 alone contains over 500,000 manuscript
pages of folklore, local history, and oral tradition gathered by
schoolchildren across Ireland. A developer API is available at
docs.gaois.ie. Crowdsourced transcription via Meitheal Dúchas.ie.
Twitter/X: None
Digital Repository of Ireland
(DRI)
URL: https://dri.ie/ Access: Free
(paid membership for contributing institutions)
Ireland’s national trusted digital repository. CoreTrustSeal
certified. FAIR data principles. Holds historical photographs, herbarium
specimens, archival collections, and research data from Irish
institutions. Also archives born-digital Irish-language content.
Collections accessible at repository.dri.ie.
Twitter/X: @DRI_Ireland
Irish Archives Resource (IAR)
URL: https://iar.ie/ Access:
Free
A centralised finding aid aggregating descriptive catalogues from
archival institutions across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Established
2007 by the Heritage Council; steering group includes NAI, NLI, PRONI.
Does not host records — indexes and links to physical and digital
repositories.
Twitter/X: None
Local Authority Digital
Archives
Several Irish county and city archives have made records available
online:
Cork City and County Archives (corkarchives.ie |
@CorkArchives)
Photographic archives, St Finbarr’s Cemetery burials 1867–1930,
Revolutionary Period records 1912–1923 (Irish Volunteers enlistment
forms, Liam de Róiste diaries, Terence MacSwiney papers), Cork
Corporation records, Ancient Charters of Youghal 1462–1609.
Cork Past and Present — Cork City Libraries
(digital.corkpastandpresent.com | @CorkArchives) Cork Local Studies
collections (photographs, maps, drawings, texts); Cork Music and
Performing Arts Archive (added 2025); online exhibitions. Launched 2004,
relaunched 2021.
Limerick Archives (limerick.ie/archives | @LimerickCoCo) Boards
of Guardians minute books: Limerick 1842–1922, Croom 1852–1922,
Kilmallock 1839–1922, Glin 1893–1921, Newcastle West 1848–1922.
Donegal County Archives (donegalculture.ie | @DonegalCulture)
County Council minutes 1899–1923, Grand Jury records 1754–1899, Lifford
Jail registers 1829–1831, Motor Tax records 1903–1923, Daniel Doherty
emigrant papers, Gweedore Hotel visitor books 1842–1874. Note: Board
of Guardians records for Donegal are on Findmypast, accessible free at
Donegal public libraries.
Galway County Council Archives (galway.ie | @GalwayCoCo) 56 volumes
of County Council minute books 1899–2013.
Kerry County Library (kerrylibrary.ie | @KerryLibrary) Kerry
Library Postcard Collection; Irish Tourist Association Topographical
Survey; World War I Kerry Fatalities database; TaxPayers News; 1st
edition OS maps 1841–1842; Poor Law Boards of Guardians 1840–1922. Free
onsite access to Irish Newspaper Archive and Findmypast.
6. Maps & Historical
Geography
Down Survey of Ireland (TCD)
URL: https://downsurvey.ie/ Access:
Free
The Down Survey (1656–1658) was directed by Sir William Petty
following the Cromwellian conquest and is the first detailed
land survey on a national scale ever conducted anywhere in the
world. The TCD project digitally reunited surviving copies
scattered across global libraries (including the Bibliothèque nationale
de France and PRONI). The online GIS platform provides:
- ~2,000 barony and parish maps
- Books of Survey and Distribution
- Searchable database of 10,000+ landowners (by name and
religion) - Historical GIS visualisation
- Maps of the 1641 rebellion (murders and violent assaults plotted
geographically)
Twitter/X: None (TCD project)
NLI Map Collections
URL: https://catalogue.nli.ie/
Access: Free (some in reading rooms; some items
digitised online)
The National Library holds one of the most significant map
collections in Ireland, from the 12th to the 19th century. Key
collections:
- Longfield Map Collection (c.1770–1840): estate and
urban surveys by John Longfield, John Brownrigg, and Thomas Murray - Bernard Scalé: 18th-century estate and urban
surveys - Richard Bartlett: Tudor conquest maps (c.1602) —
among the earliest detailed maps of Ulster - Capt. Thomas Phillips: 17th-century military plans
of Irish towns and fortifications - Giraldus Cambrensis, Topographia Hibernia (12th
c.): earliest map representation of Ireland - Ortelius, Theatrum orbis terrarum (16th c.): early
printed map of Ireland
Searchable via catalogue.nli.ie; some items digitised and viewable
online.
Twitter/X: @NatLibIreland
Tailte Éireann Historic Maps
URL:
https://tailte.ie/map-shop/professional-map-products/historic-maps-and-data/
Access: Paid (contact mapsales@tailte.ie for
pricing)
Tailte Éireann (the successor body to Ordnance Survey Ireland) offers
high-resolution digital data from two landmark Irish map series:
- 6-inch survey (1829–1841) — the first large-scale
national topographic survey conducted anywhere in the world; available
as colour and B&W editions - 25-inch series (full survey 1863–1924) — more
detailed successor series; digital products available from the 1897–1913
revision
Products available as georeferenced TIFF raster data for GIS/CAD use,
A4/A3 PDFs, and professionally printed sheets (A2/A1/A0).
Twitter/X: None
PRONI Historical Maps Viewer
URL:
https://nidirect.gov.uk/services/search-proni-historical-maps-viewer
Access: Free
Note: Covers Northern Ireland only (OSNI maps).
Seven historical OSNI map series 1832–1986, with five modern basemaps.
Shows county, parish, and townland boundaries; historic sites and
landmarks. Searchable by townland, parish, town, or postal address.
Twitter/X: @PRONI_Direct
Royal Irish Academy
— Ordnance Survey Archive
URL: https://ria.ie/collections/ (specific project
URL unconfirmed — check ria.ie directly) Access:
TBC
A 2024–2025 collaboration between the Royal Irish Academy, the
University of Limerick, and Queen’s University Belfast has digitally
reunited the Ordnance Survey of Ireland archive, integrating OS Memoirs,
OS Name Books, OS Letters, and over 1,000 antiquarian sketches by George
Petrie, George Victor du Noyer, and William Frederick Wakeman. Also held
at the Digital Repository of Ireland (dri.ie).
Twitter/X: @royirishacademy
7. Specialist & Thematic
Collections
The Great Famine (An Gorta
Mór)
Great Irish Famine Online (UCC) URL: https://irishfamine.ie/greatirishfamineonline/ Access: Free
An ArcGIS-based interactive mapping platform, developed by the
University College Cork Geography Department (Dr. John Crowley, Mr. Mike
Murphy, Prof. Willie Smyth) in collaboration with the Department of
Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Launched at the National Famine
Commemoration, UCC, 12 May 2018. Maps the socio-economic impact of the
Famine at civil parish and townland level across the entire island,
using 1841–1851 census comparisons. Data includes population decline,
educational and literacy changes, occupational shifts, and the
eradication of fourth-class housing (botháns).
Twitter/X: None
National Famine Commemoration (IrishFamine.ie)
URL: https://irishfamine.ie/ Access:
Free
Maintained by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.
Covers annual national and international Famine commemorations since
2008 and includes a Heroes of the Famine section
documenting notable acts of solidarity during 1845–1852, including:
- The Choctaw Nation’s donation of $170 in 1847 — a gift from a people
themselves recently displaced - Sultan Abdul Mejid Khan (Ottoman Empire): 1,000 pounds and three
food ships - The Jewish community of New York and African American communities of
Philadelphia - Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki (Polish geologist who volunteered his
services in 1847)
Also includes a catalogue of Irish Famine memorials worldwide.
Twitter/X: None
Irish Language & Gaelic
Manuscripts
Royal Irish Academy — Annals and Manuscript
Collections URL: https://ria.ie/collections/
Access: Free (via ISOS and catalogue)
The RIA holds key Gaelic manuscript collections, including the
Annals of the Four Masters — the great chronicle of
Irish history from prehistory to 1616 (the death of Hugh O’Neill) — and
the Annals of Connacht (with particular emphasis on the
O’Conor family). Manuscript images are digitised and accessible via
Irish Script on Screen (ISOS).
Twitter/X: @royirishacademy
NLI Gaelic Manuscripts URL:
https://catalogue.nli.ie/ Access: Free via
catalogue
Approximately 1,300 Gaelic manuscripts from the 14th to the 21st
century, catalogued under the supervision of Professor Pádraig Ó
Macháin. Also includes Gréasáin Éireannacha — an archive of
Irish-language websites and social media content (born-digital Irish
language preservation).
Twitter/X: @NatLibIreland
Estates, Landed Gentry
& Agrarian History
Landed Estates Database (University of Galway)
URL: https://landedestates.ie/ Access:
Free
(See also entry in Section 3 — Genealogy & Civil
Records.)
Academic database of landed estates and country houses c.1700–1914.
Currently covers Connacht, Munster, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Longford,
and Westmeath.
Twitter/X: None
Landed Estates Court Rentals (Findmypast)
URL: https://findmypast.com/ Access:
Paid subscription
500,000 tenants listed in estate rentals from the Landed Estates
Court, 1850–1885. Essential for post-Famine genealogy and agrarian
history research.
Twitter/X: @Findmypast
Virtual Record
Treasury of Ireland — Gold Seams
URL: https://virtualtreasury.ie/ Access: Free
(See also full entry in Section 1 — National Archives &
Libraries.)
The VRTI Gold Seams programme makes available significant named
collections within the overall Treasury, including:
- 1766 Religious Census: 50,000+ names
- State Papers Ireland 1660–1720: 10 million words (key resource for
post-Cromwellian and Williamite era) - Irish House of Commons debates 1776–1801
- Chief Secretary’s Papers 1770–1830
- Royal Revenue exchequer rolls 1270–1450
- CIRCLE 2.0 — Irish Chancery Letters 1244–1509
Twitter/X: @NatArchivesIRE
8. Overseas Irish / Diaspora
Resources
United Kingdom
UK National Archives URL:
https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/ Access: Free
(catalogue); some records via subscription platforms
Holds guides to incoming passenger lists (BT 26, 1878–1960; digitised
1890–1960 on Ancestry), alien arrivals (HO series), and colonial
settlement records. Note: Following the Act of Union
1800, Irish people were British subjects and were not classified as
aliens — they are tracked in passenger lists rather than alien
registers.
Twitter/X: @UKNatArchives
Irish in Britain URL:
https://irishinbritain.org/ Access: Free
The largest Irish network in Britain; a support and advocacy
organisation. Online heritage content includes the exhibition Look
Back to Look Forward: 50 Years of the Irish in Britain, featuring
oral histories. Publishes 2011 and 2021 UK Census analysis reports on
the Irish-born population in Great Britain.
Twitter/X: @IrishinBritain
North America
Dunbrody Irish Emigration Database
URL: https://dunbrody.com/ Access:
Free (printouts available for a small fee)
Compiled by the JFK Trust, Balch Institute, Ellis Island Restoration
Commission, and Battery Conservancy from original ship passenger
manifests. Covers arrivals at New York 1846–1890; Boston, Baltimore, New
Orleans, and Philadelphia during the Famine years 1846–1851.
Note: records include Irish, English, Scottish, and
Welsh passengers.
Twitter/X: @DunbrodyFamine
Library and Archives Canada URL:
https://library-archives.canada.ca/ Access: Free
Canadian censuses from 1901 record year of immigration and ethnic
origin. Online genealogy resources include passenger lists,
naturalization records, land petitions, and military records (Canadian
Expeditionary Force). Grosse Île famine immigrant records from 1847 are
accessible via the genealogy portal.
Twitter/X: @Lac_Bac
Australia
National Library of Australia / Trove
URL: https://library.gov.au/ |
https://trove.nla.gov.au/ Access: Free
The National Library of Australia (accessible via library.gov.au;
note: nla.gov.au now redirects here) hosts two significant resources for
Irish-Australian history:
- Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP): digitised
microfilmed collections from the National Library of Ireland and other
repositories, including records relating to Irish Fenian convicts, the
Peter Lalor papers (1854 Eureka uprising), letters of the Young
Irelanders, and the papers of William Smith O’Brien - O’Farrell Collection: pamphlets, transcripts from
Irish and Australian archives, records of Irish organisations, over
1,200 photographs, and Catholic clergy papers. Coverage 1788–1968.
Twitter/X: @nlagovau
Argentina
The Southern Cross (La Cruz del Sur)
URL: https://tsc.com.ar/ Access: Site
requires registration/login; access may be restricted
The oldest continuously published newspaper of the Irish diaspora
anywhere in the world. Founded in Buenos Aires on 16 January 1875 by
Rev. Patrick (Patricio) Dillon. Originally published in English for
descendants of Irish sheep-farming estancieros, primarily from
the Longford-Westmeath border and County Wexford. Transitioned to
Spanish in 1977 as the community assimilated into Argentine society.
Associated with William Bulfin (Tales of the Pampas) and
Edelmiro Farrell (de facto President of Argentina 1943–1946). Coverage:
1875 to the present.
Twitter/X: None
About This Page
This guide was researched and compiled by Boyne Archives, Ireland's premier for archives hosting and consulting, headed by Matthew Bruton. URLs, record counts, and access terms have been verified to the best of our ability as of March 2026 but may change — follow the Twitter/X accounts listed above for updates from individual institutions.
Our own services: - catholicarchives.ie — Irish
Catholic archive catalogue - catholicarchives.co.uk — UK
Catholic archive catalogue - catholichistory.ie — Irish
Catholic history primary source documents
Contact: @ArchivesBoyne on Twitter/X
Suggestions for additions or corrections are welcome.