A step back in time

A virtual roadshow is on the way to help tell the story of Cork and its people from medieval times to the 19th century.

Taking place next month in Cork City Library, on Grand Parade, the Virtual Treasury Roadshow is a chance for people to learn about their local history in this exciting new online resource.

When the Public Record Office of Ireland was destroyed during the Battle of the Four Courts in June 1922, seven centuries of Irish history went up in smoke. In recent years historians, archivists and computer scientists have been searching in archives and libraries, at home and abroad, hunting for any copies that can help replace these lost records.

The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland was launched in June 2022, providing the public free online access to tens of thousands of replacement records, with over 50 million words of searchable text, collected from seventy partner archives and libraries around the globe.

Helen McGonagle, Executive Librarian, Local Studies and Learning, will share further resources around local history. Following Ms McGonagle’s introduction and a presentation from Brian McGee, Senior Archivist, Cork City and County Archives, Ciarán Wallace, Lynn Kilgallon, and Brian Gurrin from the Virtual Treasury will each present on various facets of the project.

The roadshow visit will take place from 10.30am to 12.30pm and again in a second session from 2-4pm on 21 September.

The roadshow event is free. To book a place, see Eventbrite.ie.