The online archive is an initiative of the Wicklow Heritage Forum and is being developed in association with the county's library, archives and genealogy services. It is an open access website resource, which means that anyone with an interest in the heritage of county Wicklow, no matter where they are in the world, can read articles and share their own stories and photos
With content steadily being added, the site has been online for some months, but it was deemed ready to step into the limelight at an official launch during Heritage Week.
In its Genealogy section are a good number of in-depth, step-by-step features exploring research in Wicklow. They've been written by Catherine Wright, manager of the County Council's Wicklow Family History Centre. There's also an intriguing-sounding article by Rosemary Raughter that I'll be back to look at: Murder And Methodism In The Delgany Parish Records, September 1813, an index of Co. Wicklow families given passage to Canada from the Fitzwilliam Estate, Coolattin, from 1847 to 1856, and a number of queries submitted by visitors to the site.
Other sections of the site see articles telling the tales of local places – Wicklow Town, the Rathnew Brickworks, Derralossory Churchyard, for example – as well as providing details about natural heritage and conservation projects of all sorts. There's a very handy interactive map of Wicklow, too, to help you home in on all the articles about your ancestor's particular area.
For those with family from Wicklow, this is definitely a site worth exploring and returning to. Perhaps you also have a family story or specialist information worth sharing, too.