A Century of Recovery – and Beyond - Marking the centenary of the Four Courts fire (1922) and the launch of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland

10 those unfamiliar with archives to step back in time to the eve of the fire by entering the virtual reconstruction of the lost Public Record Office of Ireland. Here you can encounter the past in an entirely new way, and commence a journey of discovery into Ireland’s deep history. A century after 1922 we can peer beyond the smoke of that terrible fire and delve into Ireland’s past deeper than ever before. Despite the losses sustained 100 years ago, Ireland is privileged, by global standards, to have a remarkably rich and complex documentary heritage stretching back centuries. The custodianship of that archival heritage rests with dedicated librarians and archivists across the island and around the world. By connecting this material digitally through the Virtual Record Treasury, the rich and complex story of Ireland’s deep past can be recovered for everyone to explore—and we can begin to replenish our lost national memories. Peter Crooks Zoë Reid Ciarán Wallace Founding Director Beyond 2022 Keeper and Head of Public Services Deputy Director and Public Engagement Lead Associate Professor in Medieval History, Department of History, Trinity College Dublin. Member of the Irish Manuscripts Commission National Archives Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland Dr Linda Doyle Provost of Trinity College Dublin “What seemed impossible has been made a reality by the fusion of historical research with technological innovation. I want to congratulate the team at the ADAPT Centre in Trinity who worked so creatively with historians and archivists to make this virtual treasury accessible to the public. Technology should be at the service of society and, having watched this project evolve over the past four years, it gives me great pride to see that demonstrated today.”