NAI Records on CAIN – 1970 to 1974 CollectionToday the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, TD, launched a selection of digitized Irish government records relating to the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ from the period 1970-1974. The documents have been added to the University of Ulster’s CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) website, which provides an extensive range of information and source material on the conflict and politics of Northern Ireland from 1968 to the present day (see http://cain.ulster.ac.uk). CAIN is based within INCORE (International Conflict Research Institute).
Staff from the University of Ulster and the National Archives, Ireland (NAI) have been working together to provide free access to a selection of Irish public records relating to the early years of ‘the Troubles’ and the result can be seen on the University of Ulster’s CAIN website at http://cain.ulster.ac.uk/nai/.
The items selected have been drawn from material which is already in the public domain, having been published under the - ‘30 year rule’ – the time frame within which official documents are normally withheld. The records provide a valuable on-line digital resource for researchers looking for information on the conflict and politics of Northern Ireland during this period.
In October 2012 a small selection of some 100 records from 1965 to 1969 was made available. However today’s launch will see a further 750 items, drawn from the years 1970-1974, added to that collection. They cover such topics as the 1970 Arms Crisis, Anglo-Irish Relations, the 1973 Sunningdale Agreement and the 1974 Ulster Workers’ Council Strike. These records will undoubtedly provide a valuable resource for researchers looking for information on the impact that on-going political and security matters in Northern Ireland were to have on Irish government thinking during this particular period.
Funding to enable CAIN to participate in this latest round of work with the NAI has been provided through a grant from the Reconciliation Fund administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
This collection is the latest resource to be added to the continually expanding materials available on CAIN.
The new archive was officially launched by Minister Deenihan and speaking at the event he said: “Once again it gives me great pleasure to launch additional digitized documents from archives of the Irish State held in the National Archives that provide an insight into the official response to the unfolding events in Northern Ireland in the 1970s at a time of great political turmoil, but also of promise. CAIN and the National Archives are to be congratulated for engaging in this ongoing work, with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Reconciliation Fund, to bring to a wider audience this digital resource which it is hoped will contribute to a greater understanding of the conflict in Northern Ireland. It will be available to all: students of Irish history at all levels, as well as well as to the general public at large.”
Frances McGee, Acting Director of the National Archives added: “As the official repository for the archives of the modern Irish State, the National Archives holds documents of immense significant relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland. I am pleased that the National Archives has been able to continue in its joint efforts with Dr Brendan Lynn of CAIN, supported by the Reconciliation Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to bring selected documents relating to the conflict in Northern Ireland that our institution holds to as wide an audience as possible. Our continued support for the work of Dr Lynn and CAIN is a reflection of the importance we attach to promoting the use by the public at large of online digitized archival sources as a means of fostering an understanding of our past.”
Dr Brendan Lynn, CAIN Deputy Director, stated: “We are delighted to cooperate with the NAI in supplementing the existing resources on CAIN. It has also allowed CAIN to pursue one of its long-term objectives of working with individuals, groups or organisations with relevant material to make digital versions of their materials more accessible to a wider audience. The information is easily available and free of charge. It will be of great use to students, researchers, teachers and lecturers or to anyone with an interest in the political and social history of Northern Ireland. I would also like to record my thanks to the Reconciliation Fund for providing the support to allow CAIN to maintain its partnership with the NAI.”
Note to Editors
For further information contact Tom Quinlan at the National Archives, Ireland, telephone 00 353 1 4072385 or email: tquinlan@nationalarchives.ie.
The CAIN website provides an extensive range of information and source material on the conflict and politics of Northern Ireland from 1968 to the present day. The site is used by a worldwide audience and has received over 17 million visits since it was launched in March 1997.
· CAIN is based within International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at the University of Ulster. Building on the University of Ulster’s pioneering work in peacebuilding since the 1970s, INCORE was established in 1993. Based at the University’s Magee campus in Derry~Londonderry, it is a centre of excellence, the premier research institute in conflict transformation on the island of Ireland, and an associated site of the United Nations University. See www.ulster.ac.uk/incore.
CAIN is also component of ARK (Access Research Knowledge, http://www.ark.ac.uk/) a resource providing access to social and political material on Northern Ireland that inform social and political debate in the region and raises the profile of social science research. ARK is based within the University of Ulster and Queen’s University, Belfast.
The National Archives, Ireland occupies a key position in the cultural and intellectual life of the nation, holding the records of the modern Irish State which document its historical evolution and the creation of its national identity. In keeping with its Mission Statement, the National Archives, Ireland secures the preservation of records relating to Ireland which warrant preservation as archives and ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for public access to archives. The holdings of the National Archives, Ireland relate to all parts of Ireland and have enormous research potential as they provide essential primary source material for people seeking to understand the political, economic and social forces which have shaped the nation. The records also permit the study of Government policy and encourage greater use of archival heritage by the general public.