Wednesday 1 April 2015

Church of Ireland Gazette: 1915 editions now online

Search the 1913-1915 Church of Ireland Gazette
Search the 1913-1915 Church of Ireland Gazette
The Representative Church Body Library (RCB Library) has released online all editions of the Church of Ireland Gazette published in 1915.

In addition, highlights from those editions have been brought together to create a digital presentation now released as the April 2015 Archive of the Month.

The 1915 editions join those already available for the years 1913 and 1914, enabling further analysis of various aspects of the momentous changes that occurred in Ireland in this early decade of the 20th century. They also provide an invaluable resource for the opinions and attitudes of members of the Church of Ireland through changing times.

Written and read by lay and clerical members of the Church both north and south, the Gazette reflected how unfolding political events in Ireland and abroad were communicated to and received by members of this significant minority community in Ireland 100 years ago.

Last year the RCB Library (the principal repository for Church of Ireland records) launched a sponsorship appeal to continue the work of digitization of this important resource. These efforts came to the attention of the Irish government, and financial support from the National Commemorations Programme (managed by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) has made possible the digitization of the 1915 editions. It is hoped that further support from other individuals will enable the work to continue over the next few years, and sponsorship details are available on the presentation page.

Further background about the history of the Gazette (including a full list of its editors) was published when the 1913 digital editions were released as the Archive of the Month, August 2013.