Ireland's Lost Records

Many of Ireland's historic records, dating back to the 13th century, were destroyed in a fire at the Four Courts in Dublin in 1922.

Public Records (Ireland) Act 

In the mid 19th century, it was feared that records, particularly those held by parishes, were in danger of deteriorating or being destroyed. In 1867 the UK parliament passed the Public Records (Ireland) Act, which was further amended in 1873. The act instructed that all court, probate and parish records should be collected and stored at the Public Records Office, located in the Four Courts Complex in Dublin. The act allowed for copies to be made of the documents, which could be used in place of the originals.

Civil War

Civil war broke out in Ireland in 1922, between nationalists who supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and those who opposed it. By June, anti-treaty forces were under siege at Dublin's Four Courts Complex. They chose to store their munitions in the Public Records Office. During the siege, shelling by Free State forces set off several fires, and on 30 June, one of these fires spread to the munitions store. At around 11:30am, a huge explosion ripped through the building, destroying the Public Records Office and most of its contents. 

...thick black cloud floated up about the buildings and drifted away slowly. Fluttering up and down against the black mass were leaves of white paper; they looked like hovering white birds. 
-- Ernie O’Malley, the anti-treaty assistant chief of staff

The explosion was so huge that it was heard over a mile away and shattered windows on Grafton Street. The iron boxes containing centuries of records melted in the heat, destroying the contents.

Lost records

Census records for the 19th century were lost, along with records documenting those who lived in Ireland before the Great Famine were lost. Chancery records detailing British rule in Ireland going back to the 14th century, along with wills and title deeds, church documents, and Church of Ireland parish records were all lost.

Remaining records

Some census records remain from the 18th century, but not many. They can be searched at the National Archives. 

Many Catholic parish records were still held by their churches and can be viewed on the National Library of Ireland website.