Dublin City Archives contains records of the civic government of Dublin from 1171 to the late 20th century. These records include City Council and committee minutes, account books, correspondence, reports, court records, charity petitions, title deeds, maps and plans and drawings all of which document the development of Dublin over eight centuries. www.dublincitylibraries.ie

1. Dublin City Archives:
30 Years of Public Service
1980 - 2010
The Dublin Civic Collections

2. Dublin City Archives
Dublin City Archives is a division of Dublin City Public
Libraries and contains the following:
Dublin Civic Collections: records of Dublin City Council
and its predecessors from 1171 to late 20th century
Dublin Private Collections: family and estate records
The Irish Theatre Archive: records relating to theatres,
performers, designers, mainly based in Dublin
Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association Archive: personal
records relating to the Great War, 1914-1918
Dublin City Archaeological Archive

3. Dublin City Archives 1980-2010
Dublin City Archives opened to the public in Dublin’s City
Hall on 20 March 1980
The first researcher was Professor J.C. Holt, University of
Cambridge, who viewed the Charter of Henry II
Thirty years and thousands of researchers later the public
service is now based in Dublin City Library & Archive,
Pearse Street, Dublin 2
The City Archives’ public service is founded on the
custody, conservation and care of the collections
To mark this anniversary, we now present a selection of
images from the Dublin Civic Collections

4. Charter of Henry II, 1171/72
The earliest Norman
document in Ireland
Gave the Men of Bristol
the right to colonize and
live in Dublin
This charter is secured
with hemp cord
A tiny fragment of the
green seal remains

5. A medieval Dublin musician:
Thomas Le Harper
Dublin City Archives: Dublin Guild Merchant Roll 1190-1265

6. Grant of land to William Russell
Dublin City Archives: White Book of Dublin, 1266

7. The White Book of Dublin
The White Book is so-
called because it is written
on white calf-skin or
vellum
Grievances of the
Common Folk of Dublin
dated 1316 is shown here
Document written in
Norman-French
Dublin City Archives: Cartulary No. 1

8. Calendar of Saints’ Days
June and July
Dublin City Archives: The Chain Book of Dublin, 1498

9. 15th century Dublin Citizens
Dublin City Archives: Dublin City Franchise Roll, 1468-1512

10. The Elizabethan Reformation
The Golden Charter of
Elizabeth I, 1582
Gave Dublin special
trading rights with
Liverpool and Chester
Conferred title ‘Admiral
of the Port’ on Mayor of
Dublin
Charter is richly gilded
and illuminated
Dublin City Archives: Royal Charter 85

11. A Scottish Gallowglass
These formidable soldiers
fought in Elizabeth’s army
against the Irish Chieftains
Recruited from Scotland,
they were over six feet tall
Armed with sword, pike,
helmet and chain mail
Image from Golden
Charter of Queen
Elizabeth, 1582
Dublin City Archives: Royal Charter 85

12. City Centre Living in 1682
The Dublin merchant
Jeremy Berstow leased a
tower on the Dublin City
Walls for 6s 8d rent yearly
Because there was no
fireplace he could only
live there in summer
He then applied for a rent
reduction to 3s 4d yearly
Dublin City Archives: Expired Leases 75

13. Grafton Street and Suffolk Street
‘A Street leading from
College Green to Stephens
Green’ – development
plan for Grafton Street
‘Street to be 30 feet wide’
– development plan for
Suffolk Street
Compass Pointer featuring
Man in the Moon
Dublin City Archives: City Surveyors’ Maps, 1682

14. Signature and Seal of
Arthur Guinness, 1759
Dublin City Archives: M.A. 28: Lease from Dublin City to Arthur Guinnness for 999 years

15. Detail from map of Castle Street
Map by City Surveyor
Thomas Mathews, 1768
Engraved cartouche with
instruments of the
map-maker’s trade
Hand-drawn compass star
with fleur-de-lis pointer
Dublin City Archives: City Surveyor’s Maps

16. Georgian Dublin:
Design by James Gandon, 1790
Dublin City Archives: Wide Streets Commission, WSC/Maps/23/2

17. Late Georgian Dublin
Dublin City Archives: Elevation for Baggot Street, 1832; WSC/Maps/450/1

18. Green Street Prison
Dublin City Archives: A.R. Neville’s Book of Maps, 1829

19. Gothic-style architecture in
Early Victorian Dublin
Dublin City Archives: Wide Streets Commission ref. WSC/Maps/178/1

20. Building Victorian Dublin:
A wall at Winetavern Street
Dublin City Archives: Wide Streets Commission: WSC/Maps/451

21. Lord Mayors of Dublin
Daniel O’Connell was the
first modern Lord Mayor
of Dublin, elected in 1841
This collage features an
engraving of O’Connell
with photographs of some
Lord Mayors of Dublin,
for the period 1842-1867

22. Grand Canal Harbour
Dublin City Archives: A.R. Neville’s Book of Maps, 1829

23. Designs for Stillorgan Reservoir
Stillorgan Reservoir was
built by Dublin
Corporation in 1908
It provided added capacity
for the city’s water-supply
The carefully-crafted
designs form a work of art
as well as a feat of
engineering
Dublin City Archives: Waterworks Collections

24. Designs for Stillorgan Reservoir
Dublin City Archives: City Engineer’s Drawings

25. Social Housing for Church Street
Dublin City Archives: Design by Charles J. MacCarthy, 1915

26. Marino Social Housing:
Dublin’s first Garden Suburb
Dublin City Archives: Design for Marino by City Arcitect Horace O’Rourke

27. Nelson’s Pillar
Nelson’s Pillar was
destroyed by an explosion
on 7-8 March 1966
The head from the statue
is displayed in the
Reading Room of Dublin
City Library & Archive
Documents, books and
newspapers held in the
Reading Room tell the
story of The Pillar
Photograph: Alastair Smeaton, Dublin Public Libraries

28. Christmas in the Mansion House
Christmas Card issued in
1939 by Caitlin Bean Ui
Chleirigh
First woman Lord Mayor
of Dublin
Widow of 1916 leader
Thomas J. Clarke
This card was issued in
memory of the 1916
Rising
Dublin City Archives: Mayoral Collections

29. Credits:
Text and photographs: Copyright Dublin City Council
Text: Mary Clark, Dublin City Archivist
Photography: Alastair Smeaton, Divisional Librarian
Design: Andrew O’Brien, Dublin City Archives
The Authors wish to acknowledge the kind support
received from Dublin City Librarian Deirdre Ellis-King