Virtual Treasury to explore records from nineteenth century Mayo

The Virtual Treasury Roadshow is coming to Mayo for a special event on Saturday, April 13.

Lost records and local history will all be explored at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar.

The event will explore digital records that help tell the story of County Mayo and its people, from the nineteenth century to medieval times. 

The Roadshow is part of an exciting digital project to replace seven centuries of Irish history that went up in smoke when the Public Record Office of Ireland was destroyed during the Battle of the Four Courts in June 1922. 

In recent years, historians, archivists and computer scientists have been searching archives and libraries, at home and abroad, hunting for any copies to help replace the lost records. 

One hundred years on from that opening engagement of the Irish Civil War, the roadshow was set up in June 2022 to provide the public with free online access to tens of thousands of replacement records. 

_{Picking up fragments of legal documents blown into the street (credit: TCD Library)}

The Virtual Treasury has over 50 million words of searchable text, collected from 70 partner archives and libraries around the globe.

Dympna Joyce, of the Mayo Genealogy Group, which is based at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, will share further local history resources.

Ciarán Wallace, Lynn Kilgallon, and Brian Gurrin from the Virtual Treasury will speak on various facets of the project. 

The programme is supported by the Irish Government through funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under Project Ireland 2040. 

The roadshow visit will take place from 11am to 3pm, with light refreshments provided.  

The event is free to attend and all are welcome, but places are limited and booking is required.  

Phone (094) 90 31751 or email BookingsCountryLife@museum.ie to book your place.