Wicklow County Council Archives Service is proud to present an extensive digitisation project of the Shillelagh Board of Guardians minute books 1852-1921. This project is supported by the Heritage Council through the Heritage Stewardship Grant Programme which aims to bolster the heritage sector by providing continued support and development to organisations responsible for the care of heritage objects and services for their communities and professions.

This grant scheme is available to local authority professionals, including museum curators, archaeologists, architectural and conservation officers and archivists. The newly digitised Shillelagh records will increase Wicklow County Council's total number of archival collections available online to thirteen. These collections feature a variety of records, including town, council and harbour documents, workhouse admission registers, valuation records and Grand Jury Presentments.

The Shillelagh Board of Guardians was the governing body responsible for the Shillelagh Workhouse and the wider Shillelagh Poor Law Union. These Unions were established under the Poor Law (Ireland) Act of 1838 in response to widespread poverty in Ireland and were a key part of the Victorian push for administrative reform. Over the course of the nineteenth century, the system evolved from a safety net for the poor into a more complex early public health service. The composition of the Boards changed as well, initially dominated by the landed gentry, but increasingly including prosperous Catholic farmers and merchants.

In County Wicklow the Poor Law Unions included Rathdrum, Baltinglass and Shillelagh, and the county was also served by the bordering Unions of Naas and Rathdown.  The responsibilities of the Board of Guardians were expanded over time to include public health, sanitation and rural housing. However, the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 transferred most public health functions to the newly established Rural District Councils and eventually by Wicklow County Council. The Boards of Guardians continued to oversee the workhouses and hospital and to manager certain types of outdoor relief until their abolition in 1923.

The minute books contain the proceedings from their weekly meetings, which included the Workhouse Master’s report, numbers admitted, clothing for the inmates, disciplinary actions, staff and provisions. This series of minute books is the largest collection of poor law archives, documenting not only the Board's functions but also resolutions regarding internal matters, poor law topics and broader political and social issues. The minute books represent a rich resource for Irish social history, illustrating an early system of welfare, public health and social services, while providing detailed insights into the daily operations of the Guardians, their staff, contractors and the communities they served.

These records are now available digitally on Wicklow.ie, searchable using the innovative AI search tool Transkribus, which makes handwritten records accessible for the first time—a significant advancement in the field of archives and records.

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Melanie Corrigan, said: "I am delighted to see this valuable archival collection of County Wicklow digitised and shared as widely as possible. I commend the Heritage Council for supporting this important work in preserving and making accessible the archival heritage of County Wicklow”.

Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council Emer O’Gorman, commented: “"“I am proud of the wonderful archival collections of Wicklow County Council, and glad to support the digitisation of the records of the Boards of Guardians, one of the most historically significant records series in local authority archives and a rich resource for 19th century Irish social history."

Director of Services, Wicklow County Council Theresa O’Brien, added: "This project will enhance the Wicklow County Archives’ collections already available digitally on Wicklow.ie, including education resources, projects and publications, offering a great resource for students, researchers and family historians”.

Digitised collection link: https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Arts-Heritage-Archives/Archives/Collections/Digitised-Collections/Shillelagh-Board-of-Guardians-Minutes-1852-1921

IMAGE 1:            Wicklow Archives, Wicklow Town Library open evening

IMAGE 2:            Minutes from Shillelagh meeting, 26^th May 1855