Thanks to the power of technology, the Irish public can now take a step back in time and view a digitally recreated version of the Public Record Office and its collections.

The Public Record Office was completely destroyed by a fire in 1922. The fire at the beginning of the Irish Civil War meant that thousands of documents relating to Irish life were, until recently, lost forever.

Thanks to the work of researchers led by a team based at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland acts as a repository of digital replacement documents.

The digital treasury is the outcome of a five-year Government-funded programme of research called ‘Beyond 2022’. The research programme combined historical investigation techniques and archive discoveries with tech innovations to reimagine and recreate materials that were lost a century ago.

Historians at TCD have been working with computer scientists at Science Foundation Ireland’s Adapt Centre on the project. They were also joined by five partners: National Archives of Ireland, National Archives (UK), Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Irish Manuscripts Commission and the Library of Trinity College Dublin.

The resource was launched today (27 June) just ahead of the centenary anniversary of the fire that destroyed the original documents on 30 June 1922.

The treasury has been expanding over the past few years thanks to the continuous efforts of the researchers. Material from more than 70 archives all over the world has been collated and recovered. The resource contains seven centuries’ worth of searchable documents. It is free and it will be permanently available online for anyone with an interest in the past.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the treasury as “an invaluable historical resource for people of all traditions across the island and for everyone of Irish heritage around the world.”

“It is an immense achievement and testament to the commitment and dedication of the Beyond 2022 project team.”

TCD’s provost, Dr Linda Doyle, said that “What seemed impossible has been made a reality by the fusion of historical research with technological innovation.”

She congratulated the team at the Adapt Centre in who worked “so creatively with historians and archivists to make this virtual treasury accessible to the public.”

“Technology should be at the service of society and, having watched this project evolve over the past four years, it gives me great pride to see that demonstrated today,” she concluded.

The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland can be viewed here.

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