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A look back in time with free historic photographs of Ireland

New Irish roots collection houses 34,000 images from 1860 to 1954

By
KELLY FINCHAM,
IrishCentral.com Editor

Published Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 3:44 PM
Updated Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 3:48 PM

 

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Laurence Gate in Drogheda

The National Library of Ireland has launched a new digital collection of some 34,000 photographs going back nearly 150 years.

National Library director Fiona Ross says the library now has "the world's largest collection of photographs relating to Ireland."

The images include some 22,000 pictures from the Irish Independent and the Lawrence and Poole collections which were added last year.

Since then, the library staff have added another 12,000 photographs from the Eason postcard collection, Stereo Pair, Clarke, Tempest and Keogh.

The collection, which covers the period 1860 to 1954, can all be seen at www.nli.ie/digital-photographs.aspx

"These photographs are a rich source of primary research material and, as a means of understanding and engaging with the past, they are invaluable because they provide us with evidence of places, events and people who shaped the nation, as well as providing insights into culture and social history, politics, art, landscape and natural history," Ross said.

Once on the site, you can either browse through the catalog (but be warned, you could spend hours in it!) or search for a keyword.

I searched for Drogheda and pulled up gorgeous pictures of the town's viaduct, Laurence's Gate and the main shopping areas.

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5 Comments

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Posted by Nearly Normal on Mar 22, 2010, 12:27 PM EDT
I found the pictures to be so fascinating. I compared some of the views with my own photos taken on my recent trips. Interesting to see that many of the areas had not changed that much.
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Posted by applejan on Mar 18, 2010, 01:06 AM EDT
I loved these photos. I found the churchyard in Ballintoy where my greatgrandparents are buried. A great find for my genealogy collection.
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Posted by willieboy on Mar 17, 2010, 07:36 PM EDT
WOW! THIS IS GREAT!
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Posted by momslprchn on Mar 17, 2010, 12:19 PM EDT
Love this! Thank you so much for posting this!
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Posted by TAnderson on Mar 17, 2010, 11:37 AM EDT
This is great! I can't wait to look at the photographs!
 


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