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The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced the launch of a significant update to the online catalogue of archives from the Chief Secretary of Ireland’s Office for years 1823-1830.  The publication by the National Archives of this important resource will enhance access to one of the most valuable collections of early 19^th century archives in Ireland. The Chief Secretary’s Office, located in Dublin Castle, was a key political office for the British administration at the time.

As well as the official records, the archives include unofficial correspondence from private individuals and bodies, from a debtor pleading to be released from a cholera infected prison to a woman seeking to accompany her convict husband to New South Wales. The archives also contain petitions accompanied by long lists of signatures, providing an untapped resource for local historians and genealogists alike.

The cataloguing of this collection has been undertaken by archivists at the National Archives funded by the Crowley Bequest and the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht.

Speaking today Minister Humphreys said:

“I am very pleased to announce the online publication of this fascinating material by the National Archives. The updated website includes a catalogue containing over 33,500 items, providing a rich insight into Irish political, social, religious and economic life in the early 19^th century. The records include petitions, police reports, official memoranda and private correspondence which flowed into and out of the Dublin Castle administration.

“The Chief Secretary’s Office was a key political office for the British administration in Ireland at the time, with direct control over issues such as policing, health, religion, education, public infrastructure, the postal service, pensions and charity, liaising closely with the military and legal entities such as the Attorney General and local magistrates. These archives contain not just the official records but also unofficial records from private individuals and bodies, so I am sure this material will be of great interest to historians and all those who take an interest in Anglo-Irish relations.”