The Centre will be located on the site of the former Magdalene Laundry in Seán McDermott Street in Dublin’s city centre.
It is intended to be:
- A research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century will form part of the National Archives
- A museum and exhibition space, the development of which will be led by the National Museum of Ireland
- A place for reflection and remembrance
As part of the plans for the NCRR, the National Archives will have a dedicated repository and reading room on the site on Seán McDermott Street. The facility will act as a second site of the National Archives and will be governed by the same legislation and operated by staff of the National Archives.
This facility is intended as a specialised archive, within the overall National Archives, to preserve and provide access to records relating to the State’s role in the operation and oversight of a wide range of institutions in Ireland in the 20th century, as well as the records of various Commissions and other bodies established by the government over the past 20 years.
The archive will include a variety of types of records, including policy files and case files. While policy files are generally made available in the National Archives when they are thirty years old, case files are more complicated given the nature of the personal information they contain.
Under our current legislation, all records transferred to the National Archives must be released to the general public. We understand this arrangement may not be suitable for all records expected to be housed in the NCRR. This issue is currently being examined by a Legal and Legislative Sub-Group, established to examine access and data protection concerns and recommend changes to the law where necessary.
Current status of the project
The National Archives has identified the main departments and agencies holding relevant records and has carried out an audit of these records. This has helped to inform an overall project plan. Priority has been given to departments holding extensive backlogs of historical records relevant to the aims of the NCRR. However, the project will evolve and it is expected that these priorities will change to align with the recommendations of the Legal and Legislative Sub-Group, including changes to National Archives legislation.
A dedicated team of experienced archivists has been established in the National Archives and is currently working with several government departments to identify and prepare records for transfer to the National Archives, in advance of the opening of the NCRR.
Relevant records already in the National Archives
While no records identified in the initial audit have yet moved to the National Archives, our current holdings include:
- Records of the Department of Health
- Records of the Department of Justice
- Records of the Department of Education
- Records of the Department of Taoiseach
- Records of the Department of Foreign Affairs
- Private collections, including hospital collections
- Board of Guardians records
Find further information on the wider NCRR project at the National Centre for Research and Remembrance – gov.ie