An Daonchartlann / Archive

The catalogue of the Society’s Archives contains items which include published books on Genealogy and history with a large Irish and worldwide collection Genealogical /Family History/ and historical Journals and various Irish Directories.

The Society’s Archives also contains unpublished material e.g. school and church registers. In organizing the archive the collection has been arranged into twenty four Categories which the Archive Team of volunteers is currently indexing.

The Nuns’ Register: This was a project that the Society started some years ago. The plan was to create a register of Irish woman who became nuns, many of whom entered convents in many parts of the world. Initially a lot of research was done and information was gathered form convents around the world. The information gathered so far is now been entered to a data base. So far over 800 have been listed with a few hundred more to do.

School and Church registers: There are various school registers in the Society’s Archive, including: Christian Brothers School (Dún Laoghaire) Registers, Harold National School Glasthule and various others. Although some of the registers in the Society’s possession have been published, the details are generally provided alphabetically by surname etc. However, this has its complications as many surnames are rendered in their original Gaelic form or a version thereof and others have been Gaelicised.

Irish-Jewish Community: The Society is only one of four repositories in Ireland to have the copies of Stuart Rosenblatt’s monumental work on the Irish Jewish Community. This wonderful collection of beautifully bound volumes contains copies of the sources found by Stuart throughout Ireland relating to the Irish Jewish Community over the past three centuries.

Microform Collection: The Society has a large and varied collection of resources on microfiche and microfilm which can be viewed at the facility.

CD Collection:  The Society’s Archives has a range of resources published on CD and DVD which can be viewed in the computer room at the facility.

Diaspora and Emigration Studies: Since it was founded back in 1990, the Society has been amassing a unique resource for those wishing to access the published research on the Irish diaspora around the world. This collection of Journals covers Great Britain, North America, Australasia and South Africa containing articles on the Irish settlement in those areas and genealogical resources. This is an excellent resource for those undertaing studies on the Irish diaspora, emigration and migration studies.

Local and Social Studies: The Society’s Archives & Research Centre has various collections of local history publications; school, college and club yearbooks; and some special collections including the original minute books and records of the Workmens Club in Dún Laoghaire which was founded by Professor W. F. Barrett in the late nineteenth-century and closed at the turn of the last century.

Will Your Records Well:

As genealogists, heraldists and local historians we naturally amass a huge amount of paper and computer records during our many years of research. We love these records, we’ve worked hard to collect the information—it is of great value. Books, photographs, charts, interview notes, copy certificates, parish register and census transcripts—all lovingly collected over many years. But how many of us have made provision for the preservation of our own records, files and notes after we die? Don’t let your hard work end up as landfill or your genealogy, heraldry & local history books be sold off piece meal after you’ve gone. Why not make provision in your Will to donate them to the Society’s Archives & Research Centre for future generations? In the meatime, should you wish to donate items to the Society’s Archives & Research Centre please contact the Director of Archival Services, Lua Ó Scolaí, MGSI.