The National Archives reports that it has seen an increase of over 26 percent in its overall online visits over the last number of weeks. More and more people have taken to researching their family history and genealogy via the 1901 and 1911 online census records, as well as uncovering the wealth of Irish history available on www.nationalarchives.ie.
Figures just released show that the census online saw an increase from 4.4 million in February to 7 million in April, with an increase in figures to the National Archives website from 605,000 in January to 1 million in April.
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan T.D. commented:
“These unprecedented numbers demonstrate that as people spend more time at home, online records made available on a free to view basis by the State are proving hugely popular. The National Archives website is a real treasure trove to the past, just waiting to be explored. We have seen increases in web traffic to many of our National Cultural Institutions, all of whom are making a great effort to bring their collections online and provide new digital resources for the public during this time.”
You might be interested in finding your ancestors through the 1901 or 1911 census, reading the original Anglo–Irish Treaty 1921 and other digitised documents from that time, showing your children the Titanic under construction, or exploring original documents from the proceedings of the First Dáil Éireann in 1919. The National Archives holds these and many more documents, photographs and videos that tell the story of the Irish State since its foundation.
The National Archives, under the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, holds and preserves the records of the Irish State ensuring public access and creating exciting ways whereby the public can engage with our rich past.
Check out the National Archives website www.nationalarchives.ie