Written answers

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Department of Defence

Military Archives

11:00 pm

Photo of Gerard MurphyGerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Defence the position in relation to increasing the staff and facilities at the military archives in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11871/06]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The military authorities advise that at present the staff strength of the military archives is three, comprising a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer and a private. Approval has been granted to source two additional officers. One such graduate officer has been identified and it is planned to have this individual undergo postgraduate archival studies in UCD in September 2006.

The military archives is a statutory place of deposit under section 14 of the National Archives Act 1986 for the records of the Defence Forces, the Department of Defence and the Army Pensions Board. The archive holds in excess of 35,000 linear feet-boxes of records in five storage areas, four areas in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6, and one area in the Defence Forces training centre at the Curragh. The records of the bureau of military history and in excess of 950 private paper collections gathered from serving and retired members of the Defence Forces, their families and friends are also held by the military archives.

The function of the archive is to collect, to preserve and to make available material relating to the history of the development of the Defence Forces from the formation of the Irish Volunteers in November 1913 up to the present day, inclusive of Defence Forces overseas service with the United Nations from 1958.

Members of the public may arrange access to the archives by a system of prior appointment. This is necessary due to limitations on available space. In order to make an appointment, interested members of the public should contact the officer commanding military archives, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6, Telephone 01 8046457. These details are also available on the Defence Forces website at www.defenceforces.ie.

The question of identifying a new suitable permanent location for the military archives, ideally within the National Museum of Ireland facility at the former Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, remains an option for the future. The matter has been considered in some detail by an inter-departmental committee in recent years. However, the location and historic nature of the Collins Barracks site raises critical issues around environmental planning, conservation considerations and realistic cost parameters.

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