What are archives?
An introduction to the main types of archives and archives service.
Learn
Archives are worth learning about and worth preserving in order to pass on for future generations as they document our successes, our failures and are key to solving mysteries. They record the challenges, the aspirations and the experiences of today’s generation, and of the generations that have preceded us. Archives hold much of Ireland's national memory and form an essential bridge between past, present and future.
The following pages help you start this journey of learning about archives.
Visiting an archives service
If you are thinking of visiting an archives service it is useful to plan your visit and to be aware of how archives work.
Guidelines
This
section provides links to the Irish Guidelines for Archives and newsletters of the Archives and Records Association Ireland.
Beginning your research
Info
rmation on how to plan your visit, advice on choosing your subject and how to avoiding common problems experienced.
Sources
Primary sources are original records; secondary sources are usually books, newspapers and magazines.
Conservation
'Conservation' comes from the Latin 'conservare' meaning: to preserve, to keep intact, to protect from decline.
