Resources for Researching Irish History Online

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.

Contents

  1. National Archives & Libraries
  2. Church & Religious Archives
  3. Genealogy & Civil Records
  4. Digitised Newspapers & Periodicals
  5. Manuscripts, Digitised Collections & Academic Resources
  6. Maps & Historical Geography
  7. Specialist & Thematic Collections
  8. Overseas Irish / Diaspora Resources

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

Passionist Archives (St Patrick's Province)

URL: https://passionistarchives.ie/ Access: By appointment

Archive of the Passionist Congregation in Ireland, Scotland, and Paris. Holds rich digitized collections relating to their foundations, retreats, internal administration, and community history.

Twitter/X: None

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

Catholic History Ireland

URL: https://catholichistory.ie/ Access: Free

A dedicated hub for researching the history of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Digitised documents from Catholic Archives in Ireland. Maintained by Boyne Archives (Twitter/X: @BoyneArchives).

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are Irish Catholic parish registers available online for free? Yes, the National Library of Ireland provides free, unindexed scans of Catholic parish registers up to the 1880s at registers.nli.ie. Indexed versions are available for free on IrishGenealogy.ie and optionally via subscription on FindMyPast and Ancestry.

Where can I find the 1901 and 1911 Irish Census? The 1901 and 1911 census records are fully digitised, indexed, and available for free via the National Archives of Ireland (census.nationalarchives.ie).

What is the best site for researching the Irish diaspora? Depending on where your ancestors emigrated, key resources include the Documenting Ireland (DIPPAM) project for general migration, the 'Boston Pilot' Missing Friends database, and Ellis Island records. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) also holds strong collections relating to Ulster emigration to North America.

How do I find records on religious orders in Ireland? catholicarchives.ie catalogues numerous archives of Irish dioceses, religious orders, and institutional archives securely online. The platform is maintained by Boyne Archives.

About This Page

This guide was researched and compiled by Boyne Archives, Ireland 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:

Contact: @ArchivesBoyne on Twitter/X

Suggestions for additions or corrections are welcome.