At Home and Abroad

Dr Ciarán Wallace Programme Director, VRTI Department of History, TCD The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI) is an all-island and international research partnership working to reconstruct the Public Record Office of Ireland — a magnificent archive destroyed in 1922 at the outset of the Civil War. The research programme is funded by the Government of Ireland under Project Ireland 2040 through the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Launched in 2022 by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, VRTI is an open-access resource, freely and permanently available online to all those interested in Ireland’s deep history, at home and abroad. VRTI restores and reimagines a lost archival treasure — the Public Record Office of Ireland, destroyed in the Irish Civil War in 1922 — through historical research, archival conservation, and technical innovation. It enriches the public understanding of Ireland’s past and reconnects a global audience to our documentary heritage. Start your journey with our latest releases for 2026. For family history, the VRTI Population Portal holds our name-rich collections including the 1766 Religious Census and gleanings from the 1821 Census of Ireland. VRTI does not merely platform digital resources shared by partners. Rather, it creates something entirely new — a veritable Treasury of historical sources, newly translated, enhanced and contextualised — from the collections to which partner organisations provide access. VRTI is, in this sense, entirely unique in the world. VRTI: Democratises access to authentic archival records of Irish history; Unites dispersed collections across Ireland and internationally; Supports education and lifelong learning at all levels; Strengthens all-island and international collaboration; Engages the Irish diaspora, with over 50% of users based outside Ireland; Supports the adoption of advanced digital technologies, including responsible AI, across the cultural heritage sector. The research programme is hosted by Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, having been founded by Dr Peter Crooks, Department of History, in 2016. https://virtualtreasury.ie/ https://virtualtreasury.ie/partners