Modern building to make archives more accessible

A NEW, state-of-the-art building to store and preserve one of the richest sets of local archives in the country was opened in Cork yesterday.

The new City and County Archives building, which is the first new standalone archive building in the history of the State, is also poised to make the documents more widely available to the public.

The hi-tech facility was developed in Blackpool over the last year to replace the temporary archives premises in the former Christ Church on South Main Street.

That historic building could not meet modern requirements for archives storage, a city council spokesman said. The new building features temperature and humidity controls and secure strong rooms to protect rare centuries-old documents which chart over 300 years of history in the city.

City archivist Brian McGee said the range of documents is one of the richest sets of local archives in Ireland.

“They are an important reservoir of unique information about Cork’s cultural heritage and history,” he said.

“They are used as a source for historians and others to find out about our ancestors, and to bring past events to life through first-hand written evidence.”

Cork Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune, who officially opened the building at Great William O’Brien Street, said she was delighted to open such a modern building for Cork’s archives.

“I am sure that the building will be a key cultural amenity for the community where we can promote better awareness of Cork’s rich history,” she said.

“The main challenge is to make the archives available to the public, for research, for education, and for exhibition, while ensuring that the archives are preserved for future generations.

“This building will ensure that this mission is carried out on behalf of the people of Cork.”

The City and County Archives is open to the public Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, and from 2.30pm to 5pm.