National repositories in Ireland
Irish Architectural Archive, 73, Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
- Access is free.
- Collection: This archive was established by a charitable company in 1976 to preserve the records of Ireland's architectural heritage (both in Eire and Northern Ireland). It now has over 250,000 architectural drawings, dating from the late 17th century onwards, and over 400,000 photographs. It also holds business records, account books, letter books, project files and models from the 18th century to today.
- Catalogue: accessible at the public access terminals in the reading room.
- Their online biographical index of Irish architects from 1720 to 1940 has moved to its own website. Architects prior to 1720 appear in Loeber.
Irish Historical Picture Company, The Red House, Ballyowen, Lucan, Co. Dublin, Ireland
- Access: This is a commercial archive and access is by appointment only.
- Collection: 23,000 historic photographs covering the 32 counties of Ireland.
- Catalogue: Online database.
Monuments and Buildings Record, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast BT1 2LA, Northern Ireland
- Access: open to the public free of charge, although search fees may be charged for handling detailed or lengthy enquiries, or those undertaken for commercial purposes. It may be preferable to make an appointment in advance.
- Collection: The collection of the Environment and Heritage Service (NI): 10,000s of photographs and measured drawings. Also available are the Industrial Heritage Record, the Heritage Gardens Inventory, research on the historical development of National Trust properties in Northern Ireland, the working archives of architects Robert McKinstry and John MacGeagh and files on public buildings from the 1920s onwards.
- Catalogues: The NI Sitesand Monuments Record and the database of listed buildings can be searched online.
- Maps: the online map viewer shows locations of built heritage sites based on mapping provided by OSNI, and also displays the OS series of historical 6-inch maps.
National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8, Republic of Ireland
- Access: Readers must apply for a free reader's ticket on their first visit, which requires photographic identification.
- Collection: Governmental archives, formed from the amalgamation in 1988 of the Public Record Office of Ireland, founded in 1867, and the State Paper Office, founded in 1702. The Office of Public Works was responsible from 1831 for canals, roads and bridges, harbours and fishery piers, post offices, schools, colleges, lunatic asylums, custom houses and inland revenue buildings, coastguard buildings, constabulary barracks, glebe houses, schoolteachers' residences, dispensaries and employment exchanges, law courts, official residences, Dublin Castle, the National Museum and National Library. From 1869 the OPW was entrusted with the care of disused churches deemed to be National Monuments, and in 1882 it was constituted the authority for the preservation of National Monuments. That includes a number of castles.
- Catalogues: the default search option for
the online catalogue covers all types of record, but search can be narrowed
to specific databases such as:
- Archives of the Office of Public Works.
- Index to Ordnance Survey town plans of the 1830s and 1840s.
- Business Records Survey.
- Guide: Rena Lohan, Guide to the Archives of the Office of Public Works (1994).
- Texts and calendars published by the former Irish Record Office are listed in Mullins.
National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
- Access: Readers must apply for a reader's ticket.
- Collections:
- Manuscripts include an extensive collection of estate papers, representing many of the foremost landowners in Ireland, for example the Ormond, Lismore, Fingal, Coolattin papers.
- Large collection of Irish topographical drawings, three quarters of which come from the collection of Dr. Jaspar Joly, which contains 70,000 loose prints, several thousand albums and extensive holdings of drawings and watercolours.
- Approximately 600,000 photographs, the vast majority of which are Irish, located in the National Photographic Archive in the Temple Bar area of Dublin.
- Catalogues:
- The main online catalogue includes a large selection of the photographs, prints and drawings (with images).
- Online digital photographs database: 33,000 glass plate negatives from the Lawrence Royal and Cabinet, Poole Whole plate, Independent H, Clarke, Eason, Keogh, Stereo Pairs and Tempest photographic collections.
- Online prints and drawings catalogue.
- Online manuscripts catalogue.
- Online manuscript collection lists in PDF format.
- Catalogue of Irish Topographical Prints and Original Drawings, ed. R. Elmes, revd. M. Hewson (Malton Press for the National Library of Ireland Society, 1975).
- Architectural Drawings Card Index, arranged by county, in the Catalogue Room in the main Library building, Kildare Street.
National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
- Access to the library and archive is by appointment.
- Collection: the Irish Farmers Association Millennium Library and Archive includes a substantial photographic collection, c.1,000 prints and a collection of drawings and watercolours. These include a set of plans, elevations and sections of thatched cottages in Ireland, made by students at the UCD School of Architecture in the 1930s and 1940s.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 66 Balmoral Avenue, Belfast BT9 6NY, N.Ireland
- Collection: PRONI is the official place of deposit for public records in Northern Ireland. The earliest record dates from 1219, with the main concentration of records covering the period 1600 to the present. The official records are from government departments (early 19th-century onwards), courts of law, local authorities and other non-departmental public bodies. Other records have been deposited by private individuals, churches, businesses and institutions.
- Guides and catalogues: publications are listed online.
Some national repositories in England have collections covering the whole of the British Isles.