ONE OF the more enlightened public investments of recent times has involved the digitisation by the Library Council of Ireland of Griffith's Valuation, a detailed guide to property ownership and landholdings in mid-19th century Ireland.
The material represents the most important surviving genealogical source from that time because census returns from 1821 to 1851 were destroyed during fighting at the Four Courts in Dublin in 1922. A free and fully searchable version of the material is now available at www.askaboutireland.ie.
At some stage of their lives, most people take an interest in genealogy and their places of origin. This is particularly true where the offspring of far-flung emigrants are concerned. Finding out about your roots has become big business in the United States and specialist companies carry out the necessary research in return for a sizeable fee. But for those of Irish descent who wish to conduct their own investigations, the door to vital, free and easily accessible information has now been opened. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which funds public libraries, museums and archives, provided the necessary finance.
As a long-term investment in the tourist industry it makes sense. It represents an important gesture of solidarity with the Irish diaspora. And for those who would trace the backgrounds of their families here in Ireland, it brings the information into their homes at the click of a mouse. The initiative ensures that public access to these important source documents does not go back to private copyright as, previously, the material was only available online in return for payment.
A similar public information exercise was conducted some decades ago when records of all the ships and passengers that travelled between Ireland and Australia in the nineteenth century were collated and presented as a gift to the Australian people. Confirmation of a felon in the family may have discomfited some individuals. But the exercise resulted in closer ties between the two countries and a significant increase in the number of visitors.
The newly digitised online material lists every landowner during the period 1847 to 1864 along with the names of their tenants, the value of farms and the size of holdings. It is a fascinating resource and, while it lacks the detailed family information provided by a census, it does allow researchers to uncover basic data. Further enhancements, including searchable maps and information showing population changes in an area over time, are planned. These are welcome developments.