Irish Public Records Office

The Irish Public Records Office was an archive of political, religious and administrative documents dating back to the 12th century. It was housed in the Four Courts building in the centre of Dublin until 1922, when it was destroyed in controversial circumstances during the Dublin fighting in the Irish Civil War. The destruction of this archive has greatly impeded historical research into medieval and early modern Ireland as it contained all the documentary legacy of the Lordship of Ireland and the Kingdom of Ireland.