Beyond 2022 - Reconstructing an Archive

As I've written about before, Irish research can be difficult because gaps exist in the records due to the destruction (both intentional and accidental) of so many of them, including the catastrophic loss of most of the holdings of the General Record Office in 1922.  All is not lost, however!  A project launched last year, Beyond2022, aims to create a digital reconstruction of the holdings of the GRO using copies of records held by other sources.  The project, being carried out by Trinity College Dublin and several archival partners, is set to debut online on the 100th anniversary of the GRO fire, 30 June 2022.  As a genealogist, I'm particularly interested in how much of the missing wills can be reconstructed - I'm well aware most are probably gone forever, but I've personally managed to dig up a few abstracts myself in old British government publications as well as a few complete copies of wills that had been deposited in various archives in the UK and recorded in the deed memorial books of the Registry of Deeds in Dublin.  It'll really be something to see how much this project can uncover and restore with the partnership of so many major archives at their disposal.

Have a look at the project's trailer video below, and learn more and bookmark the project site at http://beyond2022.ie.