Research guides & sources
National Archives has produced a series of brief guides to some of the most important, or heavily consulted, collections we hold. This list is not exhaustive and only represents a fraction of our holdings.
These guides are designed to give a brief overview and to place the collections in their historical context. They are also useful for understanding the types of records researchers will find and the potential research value they hold.
Articles
The following articles have been published in archival or historical journals and relate to selected record series held in the National Archives and provide contextual information about some of our collections.
- ‘The medieval Irish plea rolls – an introduction’ by Philomena Connolly
- ‘Sources in the National Archives for researching the Great Famine’ by Marianne Cosgrave, Rena Lohan and Tom Quinlan (parts 1 and 2)
- ‘Hospital records in the National Archives of Ireland’ by Brian Donnelly
- ‘Some unusual sources for the history of medicine in the National Archives of Ireland’ by Aideen Ireland
- ‘The Rebellion Papers’ by Deirdre Lindsay
- The Ireland-Australia transportation database (and pdf version) and an article by Rena Lohan, ‘Sources in the National Archives for research into the transportation of Irish convicts to Australia (1791-1853)’
- ‘The archives of the Office of Public Works and their value as a source for local history’ by Rena Lohan
- ‘Ferreting Out Evil – the records of the Committee on Evil Literature’ by Tom Quinlan
- ‘The Registered Papers of the Chief Secretary’s Office’ by Tom Quinlan (see also the CSORP website)
- Anna Haslam’s contribution to the cause of women’s rights in Ireland by Mary Cullen