FAQs
General Questions
When you search the Treasury, you can select the filter ‘Has Images’ to restrict search results to items that have been digitized. Some of these digitized materials are quite large, so give them a moment to load the first time you open them on your browser.
All you need is a web browser—and click here. You do not require a virtual reality headset. The tour will work best over high-speed broadband, but it will also load on mobile. Give the virtual model a moment to load after you enter the scene. Older computers may experience difficulties loading the virtual model.
The Record Treasury brings together information from over seventy different archives, libraries, historical societies and other groups. The historical sources range in date from approximately 1200 to 1900—seven centuries of Irish history. There are three main types of information: Digital images, Detailed descriptions, and Basic descriptions. For more information, see our User’s Guide.
The coloured dots indicate if a record from the PROI (Public Record Office of Ireland) is interlinked with other sources in the Treasury, for instance to a document that ‘replaces’ one lost in the fire of 1922. We call these ‘replacement sources’.
At present, we do not support individualized ‘accounts’ for saving your searches. You could bookmark a page in the Treasury in your own browser if you want to return to it later.
The Virtual Model is optimized for a computer (desktop or laptop) with high-speed broadband. It will also work well on a tablet. Android mobiles may load the model, but for the best experience we recommend you open the Virtual Model on a larger screen.
No—sadly many records are gone forever. The fire of 1922 was a great cultural tragedy and much of its content will never be recovered. This project had two jobs. First, we created a catalogue of what was in the Public Record Office of Ireland. Then we looked for as many replacement sources as possible. To date we have included over 50M words of text-searchable content replacing or supplementing archives destroyed in 1922. As new replacements are identified and, where appropriate, digitized, we will add them to the Virtual Treasury. Keep an eye on our news feeds for updates! To find out more about the database structure, why not try our User's Guide.
No—the work is just beginning! And many relevant records are not suitable for digitization at this stage. To date we have included over 50M words of text-searchable content replacing or supplementing archives destroyed in 1922. As new replacements are identified and, where appropriate, digitized, we will add them to the Virtual Treasury. Keep an eye on our news feeds for updates!
The General Registry Office was a separate institution from the Public Record Office of Ireland. There are many birth, death and marriage records available through the free website irishgenealogy.ie
