Ireland's Memorial Records, 1914–1918

Ireland's Memorial Records, 1914–1918 is a set of eight volumes published in 1923 containing the names of more than 49,000 Irish soldiers who died during the First World War. The work was compiled by the Committee of the Irish National War Memorial and illustrated with decorative borders designed by Irish artist Harry Clarke (1889–1931). The books were compiled, designed, and produced during one of Ireland's most turbulent periods: the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922–1923). The volumes form one of the earliest large-scale attempts to record Ireland's war dead and remain a significant historical reference work.

Background

Following the end of the First World War, a national initiative was launched in Ireland to commemorate those from the island who had died in the conflict. On 17 July 1919, a National War Memorial Committee was established at a meeting attended by more than one hundred people from across the country. The meeting was chaired by Sir John French, Earl of Ypres at the Viceregal Lodge in Phoenix Park, Dublin. The original Standing Committee consisted of twelve members. Sir Dunbar Plunket Barton, Andrew Jameson, Dame Caroline Sydney Williams Arnott, The Rt. Hon. Francis Brooke, Lieutenant-Colonel John Steele, Lewis Beatty, Alderman James Moran, Vivian Brew-Mulhallen, E. Saunderson, E. White, Mr Justice Henry Hanna, and Major General Sir William Hickie. The role of the committee was to act as steward for funds raised by public subscription, which by 1919 amounted to more than £50,000. Its aim was to create a suitable memorial to commemorate all those Irish men and women killed in the First World War.

The committee decided that the commemoration should take two forms: the compilation of a complete register of the dead, published as Ireland's Memorial Records, 1914–1918 the construction of a permanent national memorial, later realised as the Irish National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge in Dublin. The memorial gardens were completed in 1938 and officially opened in 1988.

Artwork and design Each page is surrounded by decorative borders in black and white designed by Harry Clarke, one of Ireland's most prominent illustrators of the early twentieth century. Clarke completed the artwork between 1919 and 1922. He created seven different designs which were repeated and reversed throughout the set, a front page, and a last page (sixteen different arrangements in total). The borders combine Celtic and Art Deco influences and include scenes of trench warfare, ruined buildings, silhouettes of fighting soldiers, graves, aeroplanes, tanks, regimental badges, religious imagery, and symbolic references to Allied forces.

Two companies were responsible for the engraving of the illustrations - The Irish Photo Engraving Company and The Dublin Illustrating Company. Publication

The final publication consisted of eight large-format volumes containing 3,177 pages and the names of approximately 49,435 individuals who died while serving during the war. Names were listed alphabetically and usually included rank, regiment, service number, date of death, and in many cases the place of birth and place of death.

The books (12" by 10") were printed in Dublin by "Maunsel & Roberts" on handmade paper and bound in several formats, including paper boards with linen spines, bearing a label reading "Galway & Co., binders", and more elaborate hard covers for presentation copies. One hundred complete sets were produced at a cost of £5,000. The sets were distributed to libraries, churches, and institutions in Ireland and abroad, with the intention that every library of note would hold one in its catalogue.

Historical debate From the outset, questions arose over what "Irish" meant in terms of who should be included. Almost from the start, the Memorial Records faced criticism about the lack of completeness and accuracy. The Records were meant to honour every fallen Irish soldier, sailor, and airman. While army casualties are well documented, historians have found omissions, duplicates, and errors—especially for those in the Navy, Air Force, and Colonial Regiments, where only names from private sources and press reports could be included. The committee also assumed that all members of Irish regiments were Irish, while some Irish-born individuals who served in British, colonial, or foreign units were not included.

Modern historical projects and archival work have suggested that the total number of Irish war dead is higher than that recorded in the volumes. The 49,435 names represent only a fraction of the Irish people who died as a result of the First World War.

Despite the shortcomings, the work remains one of the most detailed early registers of Irish casualties in the First World War and an important documentary source for the study of Ireland's participation in the First World War. In addition to its historical value, the publication is notable for the artistic contribution of Harry Clarke and for its role in the broader effort to create a national memorial during a politically complex period in Irish history.

Preservation and later use

Copies of the Memorial Records are preserved in several institutions, including the Irish National War Memorial Gardens, designed by Edwin Lutyens, where the eight volumes are displayed in the south-east bookroom.

In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the records were digitised and republished in several formats. In 1995, the books were made available on CD-ROM by Eneclann. In 2003, a paper version was reissued by the Naval & Military Press. In 2014, an online archive of Ireland's Memorial Records was launched by the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres in collaboration with Google and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Locations of Ireland's Memorial Records A complete list of recipients of the books is not known, has not been preserved or may never have been compiled, although 100 complete sets were produced. The following is a list of libraries, churches, museums and organizations that are known to hold an original set of Ireland's Memorial Records. Not all of them were supplied in the original deliveries of the 1920s. Some of these copies were acquired by purchase in more recent times.

1. Irish National War Memorial Gardens, Dublin, Ireland — photo 2. British Library, London, England This is the special deluxe edition created for King George V, presented on 23 July 1924 by Sir John French (M. Helmer p. 103). — photo 3. Saint-Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland — photo 4. In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres, Belgium — photo 5. Vatican Library, Vatican City — photo 6. Imperial War Museum, London, England — photo 7. Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland — photo 8. Marsh's Library, Dublin, Ireland — photo 9. Downpatrick Library, Downpatrick, Northern Ireland — photo 10. St. Peter's Church, Portlaoise, Ireland — photo 11. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland — photo 12. Linen Hall Library, Belfast, Northern Ireland — photo 13. Saint Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland — photo 14. Belfast Central Library, Belfast, Northern Ireland — photo 15. St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, Northern Ireland — photo 16. Dublin City Library and Archive, Dublin, Ireland — photo 17. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, Ireland — photo 18. Australian War Memorial Research Centre, Canberra, Australia — photo 19. James Hardiman Library - Galway, Ireland — photo 20. The Somme Heritage Centre, Conlig, Northern Ireland — photo 21. Library of Congress, Washington, US — photo 22. National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland — photo 23. National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales — photo 24. Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast, Northern Ireland — photo 25. Saint Columb's Cathedral, Derry, Northern Ireland — photo 26. Military History Society of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland — photo 27. Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, Armagh, Northern Ireland — photo 28. Stephen's Green Club, Dublin, Ireland — photo 29. Hibernian United Services Club / Stephen's Green Club, Dublin, Ireland In 2004, the Hibernian United Services Club merged with the Stephen's Green Club into the Hibernian United Services Club. In 2019, the club was renamed back to its original name: Stephen's Green Club. — photo 30. National Archives of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium — photo 31. National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland — photo 32. Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland — photo 33. Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland — photo 34. The Inniskillings Museum, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland — photo 35. New York Public Library, New York, US — photo 36. National Library of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand — photo 37. Burns Library, Boston, Massachusetts, United States — photo 38. King's Inns, Dublin, Ireland — photo 39. National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland — photo 40. Thurles Library (The Source), Thurles, Ireland — photo 41. Bodleian Library, Oxford, England — photo 42. Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada — photo 43. Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Scotland — photo 44. National Library of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa— photo 45. Liverpool Central Library, Liverpool, England — photo 46. Louth County Library, Dundalk, Ireland — photo 47. Limerick City and County Library, Limerick, Ireland — photo 48. Kerry Library, Tralee, Ireland — photo 49. Dlr LexIcon Library, Dún Laoghaire, Ireland — photo 50. Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dún Laoghaire, Ireland — photo 51. House of Commons Library, London, England — photo 52. Methodist Centenary Church, Dublin, Ireland — photo (lost in a fire in 1968) 53. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada — photo 54. Kildare Street and University Club, Dublin, Ireland — photo 55. Armagh Robinson Library, Armagh, Northern Ireland — photo 56. National Library of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland — photo 57. Cork City Library, Cork, Ireland (vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7, vol. 8) — photo 58. City Library, Heritage Services, Newcastle upon Tyne, England — photo 59. Waterford City Library, Waterford, Ireland (vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7, vol. 8) — photo 60. The Bar of Ireland, Law Library, Dublin, Ireland — photo To be continued

See also World War I casualties

References

Bibliography