Local History

Introduction

Located in Ballywaltrim Library in the Tom Barrington Room, Wicklow County Library’s collection of local studies materials covers many aspects of both modern and historic County Wicklow. Although the youngest county in Ireland, formed in 1606, the picturesque and ever-changing Co. Wicklow has a vast store of history waiting to be discovered.

Other records held by the Wicklow Family History Centre include land and tax records such as Griffith's Valuation and the Tithe Applotment books, Ordnance Survey town land maps, parish maps, place histories, commercial directories and tombstone inscriptions. These sources enable us to give Wicklow descendants as complete a picture as possible of where and how their ancestors lived.

The Collection

We hold a number of local historical society journals as well as more general publications such as Irish Roots, Archaeology Ireland, History Ireland and The Irish Sword. Our newspaper collection dates back to 1858 starting with the Wicklow Newsletter and continuing to the present with the Wicklow Standard, Wicklow Star and The Bray & Wicklow People newspapers. Also available are Workhouse Registers for Rathdrum and Shillelagh. Other resources include a postcard and print collection and reference works such as Cantwell’s “Memorials of the Dead”, Price’s “Place-names of County Wicklow” and Griffith’s Valuation.

Contact

If you have any queries regarding our collection or would like to arrange an appointment, please address correspondence to:

Ciara Brennan
Wicklow County Library Headquarters,
Boghall Road,
Bray,
Co. Wicklow,
Ireland.
Tel.: (00353-1-) 2866566
Email: cbrennan@wicklowcoco.ie