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

Inside the Railings A Portrait of Life within the Public Record Office of Ireland On 14 April 2022, an evening of readings and pictures was held at the Appeal Court (formerly the Reading Room of the Public Record Office), marking the centenary of the occupation of the Four Courts. Participants • The Hon Mr. Justice Donal O’Donnell, Chief Justice • Zoë Reid, Keeper, Public Services and Collections, National Archives (Ireland) • Ciarán Wallace, Deputy Director, Beyond 2022 | Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland • Shona Gibson and Maeve Bradley, the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art About One hundred years ago, on the evening of Holy Thursday 1922, Anti-Treaty forces occupied the Four Courts and the Public Record Office of Ireland. Ten weeks later, the stand-off ended with the Battle of the Four Courts —the opening engagement of the Civil War. Three days of fighting between the National Army and the Anti-Treaty garrison (28-30 June 1922) left many dead and wounded. The Four Courts lay in ruins and centuries of historic records were destroyed. While incomparable with the loss of human life, this cultural loss was one of the great tragedies of the Civil War. On the centenary of the occupation of the Four Courts, Inside the Railings provided a flavour of ordinary life in and around this busy part of the city—before the fighting and the smoke obscured them from public memory. Before its destruction, the Four Courts was a bustling location in the city, where staff, residents and the public went about their daily lives. Through a selection of short talks, rarely-seen photographs, and engaging eyewitness accounts, Inside the Railings portrayed life in earlier decades, and during the ten tense weeks of the occupation. This event was a partnership of the Beyond 2022 research programme, the National Archives (Ireland) and Courts Service. 22