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

44 Co-Founder, Dr Séamus Lawless Beyond 2022 was co-founded by the late Dr Séamus (Shay) Lawless of Trinity College Dublin. Shay was a rising research star, an inspirational colleague, and a much loved and valued member of Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics, ADAPT and the wider Trinity community. Shay’s legacy is enormous. An expert in Information Retrieval, his peer-reviewed publications, supervision of cutting-edge doctoral research, and leadership of internationally-acclaimed research projects transformed and transcended the boundaries of his discipline. As a colleague and as a friend, Shay’s enthusiasm, creativity and his approach to his work was inspirational. The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland is his academic legacy. His vision has been guiding us since his tragic death in 2019. We are proud to dedicate our work to Shay’s memory. Dr Shay Lawless and Dr Peter Crooks, Founding Directors of Beyond 2022, pictured in 2018 with original architect’s drawings of the Public Record Office of Ireland by kind permission of the Director of the National Archives.