Whether you are a first-time visitor to our site or are a regular user, you will find information to help you plan your visit to our Reading Room, conduct research online, browse some of our online exhibitions and find out about records held in the National Archives and in archives services both nationally and internationally.
Please note that the staff of the National Archives and its Genealogy Service cannot undertake research on behalf of members of the public. However, the Genealogy Service, staffed by professional genealogists, provides a short personal consultation service free of charge to visitors who are researching their family tree. In addition, there are professional researchers listed in the Genealogy section who undertake paid genealogical and historical research. The National Archives does not accept any responsibility for either the work done or the fees charged by the professional researchers.
Information on the National Archives, our holdings, planning a visit, consulting records etc can be accessed by consulting the six main menus on our site, namely:
The site is navigated using the Sitemap, while there is also the option of viewing the site in the Irish language and customising the site’s style by enlarging the text or changing the font/background colour.
Although some documents can be viewed in our online exhibitions, most of our records are not available to search or view on this website. However, our online catalogues of records can be searched and we also welcome and encourage members of the public to visit us and consult the records themselves in our Reading Room.