FindMyPast Ireland has released a collection of more than 63,000 Board of Guardians' Minute Books from two of County Clare's eight Poor Law Unions. They cover the Kilrush and Ennistymon unions.
The Board of Guardians oversaw the running of the poor law unions as well as the hiring of teachers, staff and contractors so there's quite a mix of people recorded in the Minute Books. You can find mention of inmates, guardians, staff members and suppliers. There are also weekly statistical reports on the number of inmates, new arrivals, births, deaths and discharges and details of expenditure such as food suppliers and salaries. The number of inmates receiving medical treatments was also reported.
Guardians were elected by those who paid the taxes that funded poor law relief.
Each record contains a transcript and an image of the original handwritten minutes. The transcripts don't necessarily include the full details of the corresponding entry.