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

26 Conservation Conversation Unlocking the Past — Preserving the Future On 26 May 2022, leading conservators from the Core Partner institutions within the Beyond 2022 research programme discussed the challenge of safeguarding historical documents and showed how extraordinary new technologies are unlocking information that was once thought to be irrecoverable. Participants • Pip Willcox, Head of Research, The National Archives UK (moderator) • Dr Lucia Pereira Pardo, Senior Conservation Scientist, The National Archives (UK) • Zoë Reid, Keeper, Public Services and Collections, National Archives (Ireland) • Jessica Baldwin, Beyond 2022 Project Conservator at the National Archives (Ireland) • Sarah Graham, Head of Conservation, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland About this event ‘The fire left little but tangled iron work, blocks of masonry, mason rubbish and the charred fragments and ashes of what had once been Public Records.’ This was how the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records of Ireland described the aftermath of the fire of 1922. A century later, extraordinary advances in conservation techniques are helping researchers retrieve information from parchment and paper records once thought beyond repair. This event brought together for the first time the conservation teams from the Core Partner institutions within the Beyond 2022 research programme. These leading conservators and heritage scientists, working at the forefront of their disciplines, discussed the challenges of unlocking the past. Using novel investigative techniques and established methods they discussed the conservation of a selection of parchment and paper records dating back as early as the thirteenth century. The conversation showcased the vital role of conservation in protecting our shared heritage and preserving these precious records for future generations. This Beyond 2022 partnership event was presented by The National Archives UK with the National Archives (Ireland) and Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Hosted by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute. Conservation work at the National Archives (Ireland) on the 1922 Salved Records has been generously supported by Dublin Port Company and the Irish Manuscripts Commission. Supported by Dublin Port Company.