The 1920 Local Elections in Ireland

Democracy and Change: The 1920 Local Elections in Ireland

Democracy and Change: The 1920 Local Elections in Ireland details this pivotal time in the history of local government in Ireland. Complied and written by the Local Government Archivists and Records Managers, the book was published by the Department of Planning, Housing and Local Government.

Within the book, the value of local archives is understood. As Local Government Archivists and Records Managers Chair Dr Naimh Brennan writes

'Local Government Archivists and Records Managers maintain and preserve the archives of local authorities. They promote local and academic research, including research into this crucial period in our recent history. The local elections of 1918 and 1920 were among the defining events in this period, and the content of local archives reflect their importance. Many of the activities of the men and women who played nationally significant roles in the War of Independence are preserved and documented in local archives. Archives include local authorities’ minutes of meetings, correspondence, photographs and promotional material and papers privately donated by individuals or organisations connected to the period in a county, city or town. Most local archives’ collections of this period are accessible for research; some are now also online and thus accessible globally. Local archives of the ‘Decade of Centenaries’ can fill in some of the gaps in the history of this hugely significant time in Ireland’s recent history.'