Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that there will be some proposal regarding the accommodation of the boxes. There is also the prospect of using the Internet to display records and a catalogue of the boxes’ materials. However, a catalogue will have to be fully compiled first. The destruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland in 1922 was a terrible act of vandalism and a significant loss. This has led to the fragmentation of the public records sets. While not questioning the National Archives accommodation, one must ask about the quality of the locations where some public records are kept. Are we committing the same destruction in a different way? Do we have any respect for the written heritage of this country when we cannot even catalogue our public records in a timely way so they can be fully used for research?

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