(Image of Shillelagh Workhouse courtesy of www.countywicklowheritage.org)

The admission and discharge registers of the Shillelagh Union workhouse date from 1842, just before famine times. These are perhaps our most poignant records, illustrating the suffering of the poor in the lists of names of those admitted to this institution.  Some of the headings under which information was recorded include:

Number & Name of pauper
Single/Married/Widow/er/Child of
Trade/Calling
Disabled and nature of disability
Observations on condition upon admission
Date admitted or when born in the workhouse
Date of death or discharge

The registers are arranged chronologically with an alphabetical index of names at the start of each book.  Some of the larger books have been split into smaller files.  Sadly, there are gaps in the records from 1867 to 1896 and from 1910 to 1917 due to missing volumes.