The National Archives (TNA), the UK's main repository, has launched a new web portal that will bring together government files relating to the situation in Northern Ireland from 1994 up to and including the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in 1998.
The new website – Northern Ireland: Pathways to Peace and Reconciliation – is the first phase of a digitisation project to make Troubles-related records held at TNA more readily available to all, virtually and free of charge. Click image, right, to explore.
Commenting on the digitisation project, MP and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: “I welcome the launch of this online initiative which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making accessible as much information as possible about an important period of Northern Ireland’s complex history. By encouraging reflection and consideration of our Troubled past, we can hopefully recognise the progress made since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and towards a shared and more prosperous future.”
I doubt there will be much of immediate genealogical value in this digital holding but it will earn its place as a public record collection for the short period it covers and, as such, will be a useful reference for future genealogists.