Local Studies Centre

Due to Government guidelines around the re-introduction of Level 5 restrictions
the Local Studies Centre will remain closed to the public until further notice.
A telephone and email service will be provided during this time.

Clare County Library's Local Studies Centre is a reference library and research centre dedicated to the collection of material on any aspect of County Clare. Located at the Manse, beside the de Valera Library in Ennis, it is open to the public free of charge. The Centre also houses a collection of Irish interest material. Much of the material in the Local Studies Centre has been digitised and published online by the library's ICT & Information Services Department, based in Library Headquarters.

The Burren Books - The Centre aims to collect all published books relating to Clare, all books by Clare-born authors and any general publications containing Clare material. This Clare Collection contains c.3,000 titles dealing primarily with the history, archaeology and topography of the county. Directories, almanacs, topographical dictionaries and unpublished works such as theses and projects are also part of the collection. The Irish Collection comprises c.10,000 works on all facets of Irish society.

Journals - The Local Studies Centre contains a comprehensive collection of Irish journal titles including all major Irish historical and geographical publications. Journals of specific relevance to Clare include North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Dal gCais (index by Martin Breen), The Other Clare, Molua, The Clare Association Yearbook and Sliabh Aughty. Local Parish and sporting magazines are also collected.

Newspapers - The following newspapers are available and copies of the national daily papers are held for three months

Celtic Times 1887
Clare Advertiser and Kilrush Gazette 1870–1873, 1881–1885
Clare Champion 1903-present (see Index to Biographical Notices in the Clare Champion 1935-1985 and Index to Biographical Notices in the Clare Champion newspaper 1903-1934
Clare Freeman and Ennis Gazette Feb 1853-Jan 1884
Clare Independent and Tipperary Catholic Times 1877-1885
Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser 1778-1779, 1787, 1791-1792, 1794-1799, 1801-1805, 1807-1812, 1815-1816, 1818-1822, 1826-1917
Clare News, April-August 1979
Clare People 1977-1980
Clare People 2005-13 August 2019
County Express 1979-present
Dunboyne Collection of newspaper clippings 1824-1873
Ennis Chronicle and Clare Advertiser 1788-1797, 1799-1812, 1814-1820, 1825-1831 (1805 is online)
Ennis Express 1979-1982
The Freeman's Journal 1763-1820Irish Times 1859-1870; 1916-1922; 1987-2007
Kilrush Herald and Kilkee Gazette 1879 (5 June-18 December 1879), 1880 (1 January-18 March 1880), 1889-1896, 1900
Limerick and Clare Examiner 1846-1855
Limerick Evening Post 1811-1818
Limerick Reporter 1845-1852
Pue's Occurrences 1752, 1758, 1759
Saturday Record 1885-1887, 1890-Sept 1936
Sunday Tribune 1983-1987

Photographs - The photographic collection contains c. 4,500 prints of Clare scenes. The Lawrence Collection (1870-1914) is the largest in the archive. A selection of the Lawrence prints can be viewed in Foto: Clare county images online. Other collections include the Butler-Graham Collection (1860s-1950), the Westropp Collection (1900), the McNamara Collection (1910), The Irish Tourist Association Survey (1943), and the Bluett (1940s-60s), Clare Railways (1940s-1950s) and Postcard Collections. The Schorman and Diel Collections contain recent images of Clare's archaeological heritage, and the Killaloe Heritage Centre Collection comprises many private photographs of the Killaloe area and its inhabitants.

Down Survey Map, Drawn by William Petty, 1685

Maps - The Down Survey (1685) and Grand Jury Maps (1787) are the earliest maps of Clare held in the Centre. First edition Ordnance Survey 6" (1842) and their accompanying Letters and Name books, compiled under the direction of John O'Donovan, are available. Some Ordnance Survey 25" and 5' and 10' town plans are also held. There are also some maps of the Fergus Navigation and Reclamation Schemes of the late 19th Century, Rail and tramway plans and Dúchas' Record of Monuments and Places (1996) at the Centre.

Estate Records - The Petworth House Collection comprises filmed copies of some papers of Lord Egremont, who held extensive lands in Clare, during the 17th and early 18th centuries. The Studdert Papers includes details of the Burton, Arthur, Lloyd, Studdert, North and other estates between 1880 and 1930. The O'Brien Rent Rolls date from 1685 to 1828. Manuscripts relating to the Duke of Buckingham's estate in north-west Clare in 1847 and 1848 are also held. The Westby Estate maps of 1736 and 1851 are held on microfilm.

Twigge Collections - Filmed copies of The Twigge Collections (held in the British Library) comprising "Materials for a history of Clann-Cuilein" by Robert William Twigge containing historical, topographical and genealogical collections relating to Clann Chuliéin, or "Macnamara's Country", in East Clare.

Office of Ulster King of Arms, later the Genealogical Office - The Local Studies Centre holds three reels of microfilm of documents [follow link here for more info...] from the Genealogical Office at the National Library of Ireland, before 1943 known as the Office of Ulster King of Arms, including some of the collection of the late Alfred Molony who compiled Clare material drawn from the Ennis Chronicle and the Clare Journal. The Irish Times wrote of the Molony compendium of genealogical information (11 March 1943): 'Molony's interest in genealogy led him to go through these newspaper files, painstakingly copying out all announcements of marriages or deaths of prominent merchants, landowners and clergymen and putting these notebooks in alphabetical order.'

The O'Loghlen Family, barony of Burren, County Clare. The Local Studies Centre holds a small bespoke archive of miscellaneous papers relating to the O’Loghlen family from the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century.

Land Surveys - The Books of Survey and Distribution record landed proprietors and their estates during the 2nd half of the 17th Century. Thomas Moland surveyed the Earl of Thomond's estate, which included large tracts of land in Clare, in 1703 and 1711-12. The Tithe Applotment Books (1830s) and Griffith's Valuation (1855), similarly, give information on land holding in the 19th Century.

Auctioneer’s Posters from East Clare - The John Holohan Collection of auctioneer’s posters from east Clare covers the half-century from 1895 to 1945 and covers the sale of all forms of property in east Clare, and especially in the Feakle and Scariff areas.

Records of Local Government - Grand Jury presentment books, outlining the construction of roads in the county, have survived, in part, since 1830 as has the Corporation Book of Ennis (1660-1810).
List of Proposals adopted by the Proposals Committee and Rural District Councils and considered by the County Council at half-yearly meetings, 1903-1920 (incomplete).

Folklore - The Scheme for the Collection and Preservation of Folklore and Oral Tradition, known as the Schools' Scheme, undertaken by the Folklore Commission in 1937-8, operated in nearly 200 Clare National Schools. Under the scheme, senior pupils were asked to collect folklore from their own areas and write essays on the material they gathered. Copies of the resultant manuscripts are available at the Local Studies Centre. The Folklore Schools' Scheme is now available online on the Dúchas website. https://www.duchas.ie

'Irish Life and Lore', a collection of 120 CDs recorded by Maurice O'Keeffe in conversation with storytellers, historians and archaeologists is now available at the Centre. The CDs cover mainly the counties of Clare, Limerick and Kerry.The material from County Clare covers topics such as Fair day in Miltownmalbay, Knock village in its heyday as a busy port, the life and times of Eugene O'Curry and the archaeology of Dysert O'Dea. Among the Clare participants in the series are:
Father Robert E Lee speaking about historic Liscannor;
Michael Shannon and Jack Garrihy on the folklore and archaeology of Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher;
Sean O'Halloran on the folklore and ancient church grounds at New Quay;
Jack Killoury from Ballyfaudeen telling fairy stories and playing some tunes on his tin whistle;
Brendan Garvey, lighthouse keeper from Loop Head, recalling sea-faring stories;
Michael O'Gorman telling tales of the Famine and local customs around Scarriff.

Parliamentary Legislation - A comprehensive collection of nineteenth and twentieth century statute law of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, starting in 1814 (54 Geo 111) and ending in 1921 (11 & 12 Geo 5) is held in the Local Studies Centre, along with the Public General Acts passed by the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann from 1922, and subsequently by Dáil Éireann. The Index to the Statutes 1922 to 1968 with chronological tables is also available.

Government Publications - One of the principal sources for local studies of the 19th Century are government publications known as the Parliamentary Papers. Many of these publications contain substantial material of a local nature included in minutes of evidence and appendices.
Some copies of the annual reports of the Deputy Keeper of the former Public Record Office of Ireland and of the former State Papers are also available.

The Census has been taken each decade since 1821 and provides information on population, housing, age, sex, occupation, agriculture, emigration and other topics. The Centre also holds copies of the 1901 and 1911 census manuscript forms for county Clare, which provide detailed information on each resident of the county in those years. The 1901 Census is available on this website. The Old Age Pension Returns of 1841 and 1851 for the county are available (Cens/5/1-1084).

Catholic Parish Records
Baptism and marriage registers for the Catholic parishes of County Clare are available for consultation on microfilm in the Local Studies Centre.
Click Here for the parishes arranged in their respective dioceses, the dates of the registers and transcriptions where available.
The registers are also available online on the National Library of Ireland’s website http://registers.nli.ie/

Church of Ireland Parish Records
Parish of Drumcliff (Ennis):
Register of Baptisms 1744-1748; 1785-1870.
Register of Marriages 1744-1748; 1785-1845.
Register of Burials 1744-1748; 1785-1869.
Register of Confirmations 1838 and 1842.

Burial Records
Burial Register of Drumcliff Graveyard, Ennis July 1888 – March 1964; April 1974 – January 1995 (on microfilm) with map to show location of graves.

The Reports of Commissioners for enquiring into the condition of the Poorer Classes in Ireland, 1835-7, have data on the circumstances of impoverished women, children and the old and infirm.Extensive papers relating to the Famine and its relief, 1846-53, include correspondence from Relief Committees and documents relating to the Poor Law administration.

The Reports of the Commissioners of National Education, 1834-1920, detail the establishment and development of the national school system. Other areas covered by parliamentary papers held in the Centre include fisheries, local government, population, prisons, industrial relations and emigration.

Bureau of Military History, Clare Witness Statements, 1913–1921
The Bureau of Military History was established in 1947 with the objective of assembling and co-ordinating material to form the basis for the compilation of the history of the movement for Independence from the formation of the Irish Volunteers on 25 November 1913 to the signing of the Truce on 11 July 1921.

The Bureau has assembled a total of 1773 witness statements along with other documentary sources such as voice recordings, photographs and press cuttings. Detailed instructions governed the taking of statements as obtaining an accurate factual account from witnesses was the paramount concern of the Bureau. General information on the military archives of the Bureau of Military History can be found in the publication “An Introduction to the Bureau of Military History 1913 – 1921” (Dublin, 2002). There are copies of 44 Clare witness statements available. These can be viewed online here.

War of Independence Compensation Claims, 1921-1923
We hold copies of the County Clare compensation claims for distress and loss suffered during the Irish War of Independence in the period 11th July 1921 to 12th May 1923. These claims were submitted to and adjudicated upon by the Irish Grants Committee (previously the Irish Distress Committee) sitting in London. These claims are held in the National Archives in Kew, London (CO 762). The Committee sat under the chairmanship of Alexander Wood-Renton and finished its work in 1930. A full list of the Clare claimants is given here. These can be viewed online here.


		Contact Hours: Monday to Friday: 10.00am - 1.00pm and 2.00pm - 5.00pm Due to Government guidelines around the re-introduction of Level 5 restrictions the Local Studies Centre will remain closed to the public until further notice. A telephone and email service will be provided during this time. Clare County Library's Local Studies Centre is a reference library and research centre dedicated to the collection of material on any aspect of County Clare. Located at the Manse, beside the de Valera Library in Ennis, it is open to the public free of charge. The Centre also houses a collection of Irish interest material. Much of the material in the Local Studies Centre has been digitised and published online by the library's ICT & Information Services Department, based in Library Headquarters. Books - The Centre aims to collect all published books relating to Clare, all books by Clare-born authors and any general publications containing Clare material. This Clare Collection contains c.3,000 titles dealing primarily with the history, archaeology and topography of the county. Directories, almanacs, topographical dictionaries and unpublished works such as theses and projects are also part of the collection. The Irish Collection comprises c.10,000 works on all facets of Irish society. Journals - The Local Studies Centre contains a comprehensive collection of Irish journal titles including all major Irish historical and geographical publications. Journals of specific relevance to Clare include North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Dal gCais (index by Martin Breen), The Other Clare, Molua, The Clare Association Yearbook and Sliabh Aughty. Local Parish and sporting magazines are also collected. Newspapers - The following newspapers are available and copies of the national daily papers are held for three months Celtic Times 1887 Clare Advertiser and Kilrush Gazette 1870–1873, 1881–1885 Clare Champion 1903-present (see Index to Biographical Notices in the Clare Champion 1935-1985 and Index to Biographical Notices in the Clare Champion newspaper 1903-1934 Clare Freeman and Ennis Gazette Feb 1853-Jan 1884 Clare Independent and Tipperary Catholic Times 1877-1885 Clare Journal and Ennis Advertiser 1778-1779, 1787, 1791-1792, 1794-1799, 1801-1805, 1807-1812, 1815-1816, 1818-1822, 1826-1917 Clare News, April-August 1979 Clare People 1977-1980 Clare People 2005-13 August 2019 County Express 1979-present Dunboyne Collection of newspaper clippings 1824-1873 Ennis Chronicle and Clare Advertiser 1788-1797, 1799-1812, 1814-1820, 1825-1831 (1805 is online) Ennis Express 1979-1982 The Freeman's Journal 1763-1820Irish Times 1859-1870; 1916-1922; 1987-2007 Kilrush Herald and Kilkee Gazette 1879 (5 June-18 December 1879), 1880 (1 January-18 March 1880), 1889-1896, 1900 Limerick and Clare Examiner 1846-1855 Limerick Evening Post 1811-1818 Limerick Reporter 1845-1852 Pue's Occurrences 1752, 1758, 1759 Saturday Record 1885-1887, 1890-Sept 1936 Sunday Tribune 1983-1987 Photographs - The photographic collection contains c. 4,500 prints of Clare scenes. The Lawrence Collection (1870-1914) is the largest in the archive. A selection of the Lawrence prints can be viewed in Foto: Clare county images online. Other collections include the Butler-Graham Collection (1860s-1950), the Westropp Collection (1900), the McNamara Collection (1910), The Irish Tourist Association Survey (1943), and the Bluett (1940s-60s), Clare Railways (1940s-1950s) and Postcard Collections. The Schorman and Diel Collections contain recent images of Clare's archaeological heritage, and the Killaloe Heritage Centre Collection comprises many private photographs of the Killaloe area and its inhabitants. Maps - The Down Survey (1685) and Grand Jury Maps (1787) are the earliest maps of Clare held in the Centre. First edition Ordnance Survey 6" (1842) and their accompanying Letters and Name books, compiled under the direction of John O'Donovan, are available. Some Ordnance Survey 25" and 5' and 10' town plans are also held. There are also some maps of the Fergus Navigation and Reclamation Schemes of the late 19th Century, Rail and tramway plans and Dúchas' Record of Monuments and Places (1996) at the Centre. Estate Records - The Petworth House Collection comprises filmed copies of some papers of Lord Egremont, who held extensive lands in Clare, during the 17th and early 18th centuries. The Studdert Papers includes details of the Burton, Arthur, Lloyd, Studdert, North and other estates between 1880 and 1930. The O'Brien Rent Rolls date from 1685 to 1828. Manuscripts relating to the Duke of Buckingham's estate in north-west Clare in 1847 and 1848 are also held. The Westby Estate maps of 1736 and 1851 are held on microfilm. Twigge Collections - Filmed copies of The Twigge Collections (held in the British Library) comprising "Materials for a history of Clann-Cuilein" by Robert William Twigge containing historical, topographical and genealogical collections relating to Clann Chuliéin, or "Macnamara's Country", in East Clare. Office of Ulster King of Arms, later the Genealogical Office - The Local Studies Centre holds three reels of microfilm of documents [follow link here for more info...] from the Genealogical Office at the National Library of Ireland, before 1943 known as the Office of Ulster King of Arms, including some of the collection of the late Alfred Molony who compiled Clare material drawn from the Ennis Chronicle and the Clare Journal. The Irish Times wrote of the Molony compendium of genealogical information (11 March 1943): 'Molony's interest in genealogy led him to go through these newspaper files, painstakingly copying out all announcements of marriages or deaths of prominent merchants, landowners and clergymen and putting these notebooks in alphabetical order.' The O'Loghlen Family, barony of Burren, County Clare. The Local Studies Centre holds a small bespoke archive of miscellaneous papers relating to the O’Loghlen family from the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century. Land Surveys - The Books of Survey and Distribution record landed proprietors and their estates during the 2nd half of the 17th Century. Thomas Moland surveyed the Earl of Thomond's estate, which included large tracts of land in Clare, in 1703 and 1711-12. The Tithe Applotment Books (1830s) and Griffith's Valuation (1855), similarly, give information on land holding in the 19th Century. Auctioneer’s Posters from East Clare - The John Holohan Collection of auctioneer’s posters from east Clare covers the half-century from 1895 to 1945 and covers the sale of all forms of property in east Clare, and especially in the Feakle and Scariff areas. Records of Local Government - Grand Jury presentment books, outlining the construction of roads in the county, have survived, in part, since 1830 as has the Corporation Book of Ennis (1660-1810). List of Proposals adopted by the Proposals Committee and Rural District Councils and considered by the County Council at half-yearly meetings, 1903-1920 (incomplete). Folklore - The Scheme for the Collection and Preservation of Folklore and Oral Tradition, known as the Schools' Scheme, undertaken by the Folklore Commission in 1937-8, operated in nearly 200 Clare National Schools. Under the scheme, senior pupils were asked to collect folklore from their own areas and write essays on the material they gathered. Copies of the resultant manuscripts are available at the Local Studies Centre. The Folklore Schools' Scheme is now available online on the Dúchas website. https://www.duchas.ie 'Irish Life and Lore', a collection of 120 CDs recorded by Maurice O'Keeffe in conversation with storytellers, historians and archaeologists is now available at the Centre. The CDs cover mainly the counties of Clare, Limerick and Kerry.The material from County Clare covers topics such as Fair day in Miltownmalbay, Knock village in its heyday as a busy port, the life and times of Eugene O'Curry and the archaeology of Dysert O'Dea. Among the Clare participants in the series are: Father Robert E Lee speaking about historic Liscannor; Michael Shannon and Jack Garrihy on the folklore and archaeology of Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher; Sean O'Halloran on the folklore and ancient church grounds at New Quay; Jack Killoury from Ballyfaudeen telling fairy stories and playing some tunes on his tin whistle; Brendan Garvey, lighthouse keeper from Loop Head, recalling sea-faring stories; Michael O'Gorman telling tales of the Famine and local customs around Scarriff. Parliamentary Legislation - A comprehensive collection of nineteenth and twentieth century statute law of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, starting in 1814 (54 Geo 111) and ending in 1921 (11 & 12 Geo 5) is held in the Local Studies Centre, along with the Public General Acts passed by the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann from 1922, and subsequently by Dáil Éireann. The Index to the Statutes 1922 to 1968 with chronological tables is also available. Government Publications - One of the principal sources for local studies of the 19th Century are government publications known as the Parliamentary Papers. Many of these publications contain substantial material of a local nature included in minutes of evidence and appendices. Some copies of the annual reports of the Deputy Keeper of the former Public Record Office of Ireland and of the former State Papers are also available. The Census has been taken each decade since 1821 and provides information on population, housing, age, sex, occupation, agriculture, emigration and other topics. The Centre also holds copies of the 1901 and 1911 census manuscript forms for county Clare, which provide detailed information on each resident of the county in those years. The 1901 Census is available on this website. The Old Age Pension Returns of 1841 and 1851 for the county are available (Cens/5/1-1084). Catholic Parish Records Baptism and marriage registers for the Catholic parishes of County Clare are available for consultation on microfilm in the Local Studies Centre. Click Here for the parishes arranged in their respective dioceses, the dates of the registers and transcriptions where available. The registers are also available online on the National Library of Ireland’s website http://registers.nli.ie/ Church of Ireland Parish Records Parish of Drumcliff (Ennis): Register of Baptisms 1744-1748; 1785-1870. Register of Marriages 1744-1748; 1785-1845. Register of Burials 1744-1748; 1785-1869. Register of Confirmations 1838 and 1842. Burial Records Burial Register of Drumcliff Graveyard, Ennis July 1888 – March 1964; April 1974 – January 1995 (on microfilm) with map to show location of graves. The Reports of Commissioners for enquiring into the condition of the Poorer Classes in Ireland, 1835-7, have data on the circumstances of impoverished women, children and the old and infirm.Extensive papers relating to the Famine and its relief, 1846-53, include correspondence from Relief Committees and documents relating to the Poor Law administration. The Reports of the Commissioners of National Education, 1834-1920, detail the establishment and development of the national school system. Other areas covered by parliamentary papers held in the Centre include fisheries, local government, population, prisons, industrial relations and emigration. Bureau of Military History, Clare Witness Statements, 1913–1921 The Bureau of Military History was established in 1947 with the objective of assembling and co-ordinating material to form the basis for the compilation of the history of the movement for Independence from the formation of the Irish Volunteers on 25 November 1913 to the signing of the Truce on 11 July 1921. The Bureau has assembled a total of 1773 witness statements along with other documentary sources such as voice recordings, photographs and press cuttings. Detailed instructions governed the taking of statements as obtaining an accurate factual account from witnesses was the paramount concern of the Bureau. General information on the military archives of the Bureau of Military History can be found in the publication “An Introduction to the Bureau of Military History 1913 – 1921” (Dublin, 2002). There are copies of 44 Clare witness statements available. These can be viewed online here. War of Independence Compensation Claims, 1921-1923 We hold copies of the County Clare compensation claims for distress and loss suffered during the Irish War of Independence in the period 11th July 1921 to 12th May 1923. These claims were submitted to and adjudicated upon by the Irish Grants Committee (previously the Irish Distress Committee) sitting in London. These claims are held in the National Archives in Kew, London (CO 762). The Committee sat under the chairmanship of Alexander Wood-Renton and finished its work in 1930. A full list of the Clare claimants is given here. These can be viewed online here. Other Links: CLASP Press Publications Clare Past Online Forum Tracing your Family Tree - Tips from Clare County Library << Clare County Archives Service << Lámhscríbhinní Gaeilge i gCill Chaoi le Pádraig Ó Riain << Branch Libraries


		Donations: How you can help Each year the centre receives queries on how funds can be donated or given to the centre to enhance services there or to contribute in some meaningful way to the work of the centre. Clare Local Studies Centre now formally seeks donations of funds to develop its services in ways which would not normally be possible within its existing resources. Click here for more info...