Those searching for records of historical significance, whether educational religious, cultural or governmental, in Ireland, North and South, will find their task significantly eased by the latest edition of the Directory of Irish Archives. The new edition takes account of the many changes of circumstance in the Irish archive scene since the second edition (1993, RR 93/388) which reflect the greater awareness of need for improvements in provision for and preservation of national archives, not to mention the greater funding available. Chief among the effects still proceeding from the National Archives Act 1986 is the Local Government Act 1994, under the terms of which local authorities must manage, preserve and make accessible their collections. A survey to gauge attitudes among local authorities was conducted by National Archives for the Department of the Environment. The Department prefers authorities to employ roving archivists on a regional basis, but for some the preferred option is the employment of their own professional archivists. Whichever course is taken, it is preferable to the former habit of deposit with over‐stretched and under‐funded local library services.
Outside the local government scene, the main pattern seems to be a tendency towards centralisation, which was one of the aims of the 1986 Act. The National Archives is the greatest beneficiary, with the transfer of the Ordnance Survey and Public Record Office among others, but it is also noticeable in the Church of Ireland which encourages the transfer of diocesan records to the Representative Church Body in Dublin or the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast. The number of closures of religious houses has also hastened the consolidation of collections.
The 249 entries include addresses, telephone and fax numbers, Web sites and e‐mail addresses, together with details of enquiries, opening hours, major collections and published guides. An index completes the work. There are three appendices: collections not yet available for consultation (for example Strokestown House where the Irish Famine Museum has been established); collections which have changed custodian since the previous edition(s), usually through centralisation; and related organisations, including advisory councils, commissions and associations.
Various types of archive are excluded from the directory (for example, trade union and business records are catered for in other publications), so it is not a comprehensive guide and needs to be used in conjunction with these other sources. Raymond Refaussé of the RCB Library and Seamus Helferty of the UCD Archives Department are again to be congratulated on their thoroughness in producing this indispensable guide.
