Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland

Finding Limerick in the Virtual Treasury of Ireland Exploring the history of Limerick and its people through the lens of the Virtual Treasury of Ireland's exciting online resource

Come along to our Limerick Roadshow next Wednesday (Feb 11) at the People's Museum of Limerick to learn more!

Attendance is free, but booking is essential: bit.ly/4r0Ej2M

59 items from the 1766 religious census, Ireland's 1st census, survived the destruction of the Public Record Office in 1922.

This return, for the Union of Abington, in east County Limerick, dated 9 April 1766, is one of the finest of these very rare survivors.

virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-IHP...

Responding to crisis: the Irish exchequer, 1318-1331

If you want to escape from thinking about current crisis by thinking about past crises 🤔, Paul Dryburgh and I are giving a @ihr.bsky.social seminar paper on Friday 13 February.

Come for embezzlement scandals, stay for Paul's thoughts on the Mortimer family.

www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-KB-2-5-105-6-1 National Archives Ireland Justiciary Roll, 7 Edward II, roll 105, membrane 6 dorse. Tipperary. The assize came to recognise whether Patrick de Caunteton and Desiderata his wife unjustly disseised the prioress of the house of the blessed Brigid of Moylagh of her free tenement in Moylagh, and whereof she complains that they disseised her of six shillings and eight pence worth of rent with the appurtenances. And Patrick and Desiderata did not come.

https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/PROI-PUB-Chancery1-1127 Annual report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records. Surrender of the abbey or monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of Kilcowle, etc. including: 'Surrender of the convent, or house, of St Brigid, of Molaghe, Co Tipperary, by Johanna Powere the Abbesse, with the consent of the convent...'

https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/RCBL-Ms-104-1-203 Representative Church Body Library, Dublin. Co. Meath. Surrender of convent of St Brigid of Odder by Margaret Shylke, abbess. 'A surrender by Margaret Shylke, Abbess and the convent of St Brigid of Odder of the order of St Augustine, which with their assent and consent, with deliberate minds, certain knowledge ... of their own accord have granted up and confirmed to King Hen. 8. Defender of the Faith [etc.] ... all the abbey... precinct, church, steeple, and cemetery [and list of land holdings, rents etc.].'

https://www.virtualtreasury.ie/item/NAI-Lodge-4-78 National Archives Ireland. Co. Wexford Grant to Sir ADAM LOFTUS of land in Wexford and Dublin. An extensive list of lands granted, including: 'The rectories of ... St Brigid of Tamon [Taghmon], Whitchurch.'

St Brigid in the landscape of Irish history.
Just four of many mentions of abbeys dedicated to St Brigid from our partner's collections.
A land dispute in 1313, surrenders under Henry VIII, and a land grant c. 1619.
#Brigid #Wexford #Meath #Tipperary
See ALT text for details.

Take a look at the latest blog on @virtualtreasury.bsky.social highlighting the Registry of Deeds Memorial No. 1 registered on March 29, 1708.

Memorial No. 1 is the first official record in Ireland's Registry of Deeds and part of Tailte Éireann’s archives located in Henrietta Street, Dublin.

ROD PR/TB/1/1/1 — Transcript of Memorial 1 (Inman to Hawkins). The original Memorial number is represented in each item reference code. Description created by the Registry of Deeds, January 2021.

PUB DS 2/15 — The Barony of Coshlea in the County of Limrick at a scale of 160 perches to 1 inch. 39 x 53 cm. A map showing parish boundaries in the Barony of Coshlea. Each boundary is highlighted in a different colour.

116,090 days ago a Limerick land transaction became Memorial No. 1 in the brand-new Registry of Deeds!

🧐 virtualtreasury.ie/hidden-stori...

Want to see more?
👉 Come along on Wed 11 Feb to the Limerick Roadshow

Admission free bit.ly/4r0Ej2M

@tailteeireann.bsky.social
@limericklive.bsky.social

I had great fun bringing together material from @virtualtreasury.bsky.social with the England's immigrants database to look at people immigrating to and between England and Ireland in the middle ages.

LBC Townland/2/18 - Index map for the townland survey of County Limerick. Barony and Parish boundaries highlighted in colour (1835). Courtesy of the L. Brown Collection. Contrast enhanced.

Attendance is free, booking is essential — light refreshments will be available!

Finding Limerick in the Virtual Treasury of Ireland Exploring the history of Limerick and its people through the lens of the Virtual Treasury of Ireland's exciting online resource

📢 NEXT ROADSHOW: We're headed to the Treaty City! Join us in Limerick on 11 February for our next VRTI Roadshow. We'll be hosted by Limerick City and County Council Archives Services and Library, the Limerick Museum, and the People's Museum of Limerick.

More details here: bit.ly/4r0Ej2M

Great to see you here 🙂👍

Ancient illustration of a mythical figure with intricate designs on a beige background. Bold text reads "WATCH THIS SPACE...".

Hello Bluesky!

Read about other women in the GSA in our Media Gallery here: virtualtreasury.ie/image-galler...

RIA GSA/25/1 — Deeds of the Guild of St Anne, 9 George I, Item 1 (13 February 1723)

Today is #NollaignamBan so we thought we'd feature Mary Whitshed, from the Guild of St Anne Collection. Her seal below was impressed onto a grant from the Guild for a plot of ground in Cooke Street, Dublin, 1723 — just behind St. Audoen's Church in the Liberties!

virtualtreasury.ie/item/RIA-GSA...

Virtual Treasury Virtual Treasury

Full bibliographic references to these two pieces can be found on our Publications page.

virtualtreasury.ie/publications

The second, an article titled “How to Reconstruct a Lost Archive in the Digital Age: The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland, The Fire of 1922, and the Archival Loss and Recovery Model (ALARM)” was published in the Belgian journal ABB (www.archibib.be/EN/objectives)

The first, “Courting the Past: Reconstructing Ireland’s Lost Legal Records, circa 1300–1922” appears as a chapter of Law and Constitutional Change, edited by David Capper, Conor McCormick, and Norma Dawson (307–40. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025).

Sound the ALARM ‼️ 📢 Two new works authored by VRTI team members have recently been published!

virtualtreasury.ie/news/sound-t...

Provost Dr Linda Doyle presented the award to Co-Director Ciarán Wallace at an enjoyable event on 5 December, pictured above.

Read more here: www.tcd.ie/civicengagem...

Their stories, experiences and sense of place will be layered onto historical maps, creating a shared portrait of community life across decades.

‘Mapping Memories’ responds to this challenge in a participatory way. Rather than offering conventional digital training, the project invites older members of the community to become co-creators of a local history resource: a richly annotated map of their neighbourhood as they remember it.

Digital exclusion remains a feature in the lives of many older people in Ireland, limiting access to public services as well as to social connection and hobbies. The VRTI sometimes sees the enthusiasm of older people tempered by a feeling that they lack digital skills needed for the online realm.

The VRTI Team were delighted to be awarded @trinitycivic.bsky.social's Civically Engaged Research Award for 2026 for a public history project titled ‘Mapping Memories’.

#PublicHistory #DigitalHistory #ParticipatoryHistory #CivicEngagement #HistoryfromBelow @historytcd.bsky.social

A list of the featured collections can also be found on our News & Events page here:

virtualtreasury.ie/news/tnaconn...

Thanks for following this week's #TNAConnections series with @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy.

The many records shared by TNA on the VRTI can be found on TNA's browse page here: virtualtreasury.ie/browse/The_N...

The history of 19th century Ireland was dominated by big events, big men and big problems. The Act of Union of 1800, the Great Famine, and the campaign for land rights and Home Rule are among the… Ireland’s undiscovered past: the 1800s

The third, 'Ireland’s undiscovered past: the 1800s' (featuring @gillianobrien.bsky.social) delved into the VRTI in search of lesser-known men and women to reveal new interpretations of Ireland’s recent past. youtu.be/dsuWzs00AXM?...

Neil Johnston, head of early modern records at The National Archives (UK), examines how Ireland was used as a colonial laboratory by the English Crown and its servants. His talk will explore how,… Ireland, 1485-1798: colonial laboratory?

The second, 'Ireland, 1485-1798: colonial laboratory?' (featuring @nejohnst.bsky.social) examined how Ireland was used as a colonial laboratory by the English Crown and its servants. youtu.be/EY3nimRylms?...

In May 1487, a coronation was held in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. The young child was hailed as King Edward VI. Those who pressed his claim, soon raised an army to invade England and depose the… England’s First Colony: Medieval Ireland, 1171-1500 (Finding Ireland series with TNA (UK))

The first, 'England’s First Colony: Medieval Ireland, 1171-1500' provided an overview of the history of English intervention in Ireland and its role in the political development of the British and Irish isles. youtu.be/z96EoL0qhxI?...

The National Archives building at Kew, London. Source: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons

#TNAConnections In September, we collaborated with @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy on a series of three talks called 'Finding Ireland' using TNA records shared with the Virtual Treasury. These can be viewed as a playlist on our YouTube channel:

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Dr Brian Gurrin, VRTI Research Fellow in Census and Population Records, joins Dr Jessamy Carlson, Family and Local History Engagement Lead, The National Archives (UK) for a discussion about various… Tracing your Irish Ancestors (TNA Webinar Series)

#TNAConnections @briangurrin.bsky.social, VRTI Census Specialist, joins Dr Jessamy Carlson, Family and Local History Engagement Lead @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy for a discussion about various ways the VRTI can be used for genealogical research.

Watch it here: youtu.be/XCDrFgHEsbw

It was the main channel of communications between government departments in England and their counterparts in Ireland, coordinating administration of a wide range of issues, from trade and taxes, to policing and putting down insurrections.